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I want to read to you one verse

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this evening.

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I want to read you one verse this evening.

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And I'll read it just 
after I share with you

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what I'm going be speaking on.

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And I'll share with you what 
I'm going to be speaking on

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just after I pray.

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So let's pray together.

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Father, You told us

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that without You we could do nothing,

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and we believe it,

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even though our flesh 
would rage with pride

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and try to convince us we'll be okay.

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By faith, we believe we can do nothing.

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Lord, faith is the assurance 
of things hoped for

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and we want to put our hope

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in what You have promised.

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Lord, You said that 
whoever believes in You

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would do the work that You do,

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and greater works than these would he do

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because You had gone to the Father.

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Would You allow me to do -

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it's almost unspeakable, Lord -

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greater works than You did?

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Would you equip Your saints so that

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we could all do greater works than You did

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because You have gone to the Father;

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You've ascended, and You've poured out

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the powerful Holy Spirit.

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Father, I want to pray 
that You would give us

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a spirit of wisdom and of revelation

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in the knowledge of You.

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Lord, I want to pray that You would just

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break chains this evening.

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Lord, wherever there are those

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who are in bondage,
that You would free them,

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and wherever there are Christians
who are returning to a spirit of slavery,

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that You would destroy it.

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Lord, You know that this topic 
that we're talking about

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is one that has plagued me, hurt me.

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I just pray that I would be able to pass

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a little bit of the help I've received on.

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Lord, I pray that You'd give 
me clarity from Your Word.

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Lord, that You'd give me prophecy

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if there's something particular 
that needs to be pointed out.

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And that You would just allow us

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to know that Your Spirit was among us,

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speaking to us by Your Word.

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Now, Lord, let us preach and listen

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with confidence in Christ who loves us

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and gave Himself for us,

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and promises to be with us always,

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even to the end of the age.

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We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.

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The topic I want to talk 
to you about tonight

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is one that can cause 
you either great pain

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or tremendous pleasure.

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What I want to speak to us about

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is a topic that can either be

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pure and perfect -

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something that can either 
be pure and perfect -

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or, dirty and defiled.

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It can be either good or bad.

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Seared or soft.

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I want to speak to you 
about the conscience.

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And isn't the conscience where we live?

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So much of our lives as Christians

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are lived interacting 
with our consciences.

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If the conscience is dirty,

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there's no good day.

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If the conscience is pure,

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there is no bad day,

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no matter what's happening.

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If your conscience is clean,

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communion with God is uninterrupted.

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All hell can break loose against you

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and you've got heaven in your soul.

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If there's a hindrance 
between you and the Lord,

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then everything can be going right,

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and nothing's going right.

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There's no joy in your soul.

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And I want to speak to us 
about the conscience

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from 1 Timothy 1:5

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where we're told the goal

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of all Christian teaching.

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The goal of all Paul's teaching,

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the goal of all Timothy's teaching,

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the goal of every Sunday 
school you ever teach,

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and the goal of every interaction
you ever have with a friend

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is summarized in this one verse.

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1 Timothy 1:5.

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"The aim of our charge..."

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or as I believe the NASB puts it:

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"The goal of our instruction."

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"The aim of our charge is love

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that issues from a pure heart

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and a good conscience

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and a sincere faith."

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Everything that's ever taught

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in the name of Christianity

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ought to have a singular goal:

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love.

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If it's not helping people care

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about other people more,

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it's not Christian teaching.

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If it's not warming your heart

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to care more about God

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and care more about the people He made,

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it's not Christian teaching.

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I don't care how orthodox it is,

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if it doesn't result in love, it's bent,

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and crooked, warped, and sinful,

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and self-condemned.

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The goal of all Christian teaching

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is for you to care more about other people

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for the glory of God.

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The aim of our instruction is love.

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And it issues, it flows out

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of the inside.

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And the inside of us is described

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in three ways:

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We're told that Christian teaching

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that produces love -

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that love actually ought to 
issue out of a pure heart -

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a heart that's been born again,

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a heart that's been cleansed,

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a heart that has pure motives before God.

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And a good conscience - we'll get to that.

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And a sincere faith - 
not like the Pharisees.

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They prayed in public, they acted holy,

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they gave their tithes,

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but it was all to have 
other people watch them.

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It wasn't a sincere faith towards God.

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It was a show faith towards man.

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And then, the Apostle Paul singles out

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the importance of a good conscience

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in producing love.

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And it should be clear almost immediately

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just how very practical this is.

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It is very practical to think about

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how much we need a good conscience

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if we're going to get biblical love.

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So you think about how abortion

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is justified in our day.

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The slaughter of the innocents.

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Sixty million Americans dead since 1973 -

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legally.

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And justified how?

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In many cases, because it's loving.

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Loving.

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It would sacrifice the mother's dreams

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to have a child at this point,

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and we want to be loving

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and let her become all 
that she was meant to be.

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So, sacrifice the life of the child

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so as not to sacrifice 
the mother's dreams.

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Or, it's argued that abortion is loving

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to the child.

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Because of course, 
if you're born in poverty

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or in a family that doesn't want you,

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that couldn't be a life worth living.

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So you see what happens

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is that something is justified 
in the name of love,

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but it's not from a biblical conscience.

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Not from a good conscience at all.

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Really, it's self-deceived.

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One in every three women in America

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by the time they're 40

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has had an abortion.

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So I realize I'm speaking to dear sisters

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who have had abortions,

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and men who have helped 
them get those abortions.

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And I want to tell you,
I'm going to share things with you

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that will cleanse your conscience.

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That will let you know freedom

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and peace and joy.

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It should just be immediately apparent

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that this whole idea of a good conscience

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is really important in the issue of love.

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Why do so many churches not practice

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church discipline?

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Well, it's not loving.

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Rebuking,

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correcting,

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excluding,

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putting out.

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All of that's inconceivable.

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That can't be loving.

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And so you've got bad definitions of love

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moving people into action,

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and you've got a bad idea of love.

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You don't have love 
from a good conscience.

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A good conscience says,

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hey, Jesus decides what's loving.

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And if you read Matthew 18,

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it's all about love.

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Go get that brother. Go win that brother.

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Go get two or three to win that brother.

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Go get the whole church 
to try to win that brother.

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It's all about love

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and winning the sinner in,

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and when love divorces 
itself from the Bible,

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you don't get love anymore.

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And the Bible is interested 
in cultivating love

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from a good conscience.

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This is important to know when 
you're talking about new Christians.

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I have a friend named Darren.

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He went on to become a pastor,

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but when he first got saved,

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he was smoking pot,

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he was smoking cigarettes,
he was drinking alcohol,

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he was drinking coffee,

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and he got saved and he got so convicted,

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and he quit the coffee 
and cigarettes right away.

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But it took a little more 
conscience informing

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before it started firing on all cylinders,

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and he got convicted of what 
he needed to be convicted of

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in order to repent

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and continue to walk

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in a matter worthy of the gospel.

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And so we need to 
understand the conscience.

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It's because of misunderstandings

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about the conscience

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that so many churches are so small.

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Now listen, I believe 
that a lot of churches

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are small because they're so faithful.

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I believe that.

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I believe that in the midst of a crooked

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and perverse generation,

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a lot of times the remnant 
is going to be small

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and there aren't going to be a 
lot of people that join them.

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I believe that faithfulness

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can keep churches small.

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Did anyone hear me say that?

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Okay, I said that. Right?

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And I believe that if your church

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all becomes about what 
kind of bread you bake,

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and what homeschooling curriculum you buy,

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you're going to be small 
for the wrong reasons.

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And you're going to pat 
yourself on the back

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for your faithfulness,

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while you keep people away 
from the kingdom of God.

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And that's bad.

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And so understanding 
issues of the conscience

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is critical to living a life of love.

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The goal of our instruction is love

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from a pure heart,

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a sincere faith,

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and a good conscience.

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Now, let's just ask:

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what is the conscience?

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We're looking at 1 Timothy 1:5.

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It tells us that love is supposed to

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come out of a good conscience.

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What is a conscience?

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And I think the best place to get a sense

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of what a conscience is

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is by watching a conscience in action

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in Romans 2:14-16.

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Romans 2:14-16.

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Let us look at the conscience in action.

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And as we see the conscience acting;

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as we see what the conscience does,

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we get a glimpse of 
what the conscience is.

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The Apostle Paul, you might remember,

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in the first three chapters of Romans

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is proceeding like a lawyer

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against the human race;

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showing the universal guilt 
of the human race,

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and how the whole human race

271
00:12:07,923 --> 00:12:12,812
is under the guilt and 
under the power of sin.

272
00:12:12,812 --> 00:12:15,471
And, as he goes and proceeds to do this,

273
00:12:15,471 --> 00:12:18,094
he explains that Gentiles - 
that is non-Jews,

274
00:12:18,094 --> 00:12:19,918
people who didn't deal with Moses;

275
00:12:19,918 --> 00:12:21,455
didn't have the 10 Commandments;

276
00:12:21,455 --> 00:12:22,548
didn't have the Bible;

277
00:12:22,548 --> 00:12:24,192
the people Francis Schaeffer called,

278
00:12:24,192 --> 00:12:25,854
"the man without the Bible."

279
00:12:25,854 --> 00:12:27,352
He says these Gentiles, even though

280
00:12:27,352 --> 00:12:28,702
they didn't have the 10 Commandments,

281
00:12:28,702 --> 00:12:31,006
none the less, they had the law

282
00:12:31,006 --> 00:12:34,080
written on their hearts.

283
00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:36,856
And their consciences always spoke to them

284
00:12:36,856 --> 00:12:38,414
about that law

285
00:12:38,414 --> 00:12:41,956
that was written on their hearts.

286
00:12:41,956 --> 00:12:44,180
Romans 2:14 says,

287
00:12:44,180 --> 00:12:47,243
"For when Gentiles that 
do not have the law..."

288
00:12:47,243 --> 00:12:48,953
They don't have the law of Moses.

289
00:12:48,953 --> 00:12:50,622
They don't have the 10 Commandments

290
00:12:50,622 --> 00:12:53,240
outside their courtyards.

291
00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:57,000
"...By nature, do what the law requires,

292
00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:59,489
they are a law to themselves,

293
00:12:59,489 --> 00:13:01,199
even though they do not have the law,

294
00:13:01,199 --> 00:13:02,924
they show that the work of the law

295
00:13:02,924 --> 00:13:05,647
is written on their hearts,

296
00:13:05,647 --> 00:13:09,247
while their consciences also bear witness

297
00:13:09,247 --> 00:13:12,047
and their conflicting thoughts accuse

298
00:13:12,047 --> 00:13:14,956
or even excuse them

299
00:13:14,956 --> 00:13:17,198
on that day when according to my gospel

300
00:13:17,198 --> 00:13:20,473
God judges the secrets of men

301
00:13:20,473 --> 00:13:24,451
by Christ Jesus."

302
00:13:24,451 --> 00:13:27,562
Every single person has the law

303
00:13:27,562 --> 00:13:28,863
written on their heart.

304
00:13:28,863 --> 00:13:30,042
And we're not talking about this

305
00:13:30,042 --> 00:13:31,704
in the way that Hebrews 8 talks about

306
00:13:31,704 --> 00:13:33,156
the law written on the heart.

307
00:13:33,156 --> 00:13:34,286
When Hebrews 8 talks about

308
00:13:34,286 --> 00:13:35,956
the Christian having the 
law written on their heart,

309
00:13:35,956 --> 00:13:40,260
it means that the Christian 
longs to do the law.

310
00:13:40,260 --> 00:13:41,892
Here, when we look at Romans 2,

311
00:13:41,892 --> 00:13:44,054
it's just talking about that every person,

312
00:13:44,054 --> 00:13:45,793
whether they're a Christian or not,

313
00:13:45,793 --> 00:13:47,954
is aware of the law.

314
00:13:47,954 --> 00:13:50,181
They know the difference between

315
00:13:50,181 --> 00:13:51,627
right and wrong.

316
00:13:51,627 --> 00:13:53,389
I had the privilege of witnessing

317
00:13:53,389 --> 00:13:57,728
to two gay friends the other day,

318
00:13:57,728 --> 00:13:59,108
and I said to them,

319
00:13:59,108 --> 00:14:01,528
"Listen, isn't it amazing 
that you're living

320
00:14:01,528 --> 00:14:02,988
in this time and this culture

321
00:14:02,988 --> 00:14:05,013
where I know there's been persecution

322
00:14:05,013 --> 00:14:06,619
and hatred against homosexuals,

323
00:14:06,619 --> 00:14:08,286
but really, at the end of the day,

324
00:14:08,286 --> 00:14:11,772
this is about as easy a 
time as you can imagine

325
00:14:11,772 --> 00:14:17,265
to be gay, and you both feel guilty now."

326
00:14:17,265 --> 00:14:21,402
And they're like, "Yeah."

327
00:14:21,402 --> 00:14:24,485
Because they have the 
law written on their hearts.

328
00:14:24,485 --> 00:14:26,404
Because their conscience has not been

329
00:14:26,404 --> 00:14:29,251
completely silenced.

330
00:14:29,251 --> 00:14:30,923
And what the Bible tells us

331
00:14:30,923 --> 00:14:32,618
is that the law is written on the heart,

332
00:14:32,618 --> 00:14:34,570
so we have this knowledge 
of right and wrong,

333
00:14:34,570 --> 00:14:36,207
we have this knowledge 
of what's good and bad,

334
00:14:36,207 --> 00:14:38,410
and the conscience is a witness

335
00:14:38,410 --> 00:14:39,631
that's always telling us

336
00:14:39,631 --> 00:14:41,124
whether we're doing the good

337
00:14:41,124 --> 00:14:42,203
or doing the bad.

338
00:14:42,203 --> 00:14:43,310
It's bearing witness.

339
00:14:43,310 --> 00:14:45,266
It's like having, as one person put it,

340
00:14:45,266 --> 00:14:47,588
a prosecuting attorney in your heart

341
00:14:47,588 --> 00:14:49,682
and a defense attorney in your heart

342
00:14:49,682 --> 00:14:50,876
at the same time.

343
00:14:50,876 --> 00:14:52,410
So the attorney at one point is saying,

344
00:14:52,410 --> 00:14:53,624
"You are guilty."

345
00:14:53,624 --> 00:14:54,790
And then at the next point, it's saying,

346
00:14:54,790 --> 00:14:55,977
"You are innocent."

347
00:14:55,977 --> 00:14:58,435
That was good. That was bad.

348
00:14:58,435 --> 00:15:01,624
There's this constant self-evaluation

349
00:15:01,624 --> 00:15:04,781
going on within the heart

350
00:15:04,781 --> 00:15:06,579
being done by the conscience

351
00:15:06,579 --> 00:15:09,597
as it compares your behaviors,

352
00:15:09,597 --> 00:15:13,167
your attitudes, and your actions

353
00:15:13,167 --> 00:15:16,573
to God's law.

354
00:15:16,573 --> 00:15:18,857
The conscience bears witness.

355
00:15:18,857 --> 00:15:21,712
It's like an alarm that goes off

356
00:15:21,712 --> 00:15:24,508
when you're about to do the wrong thing.

357
00:15:24,508 --> 00:15:27,366
It's like a knife that stabs your heart

358
00:15:27,366 --> 00:15:30,521
when you do the wrong thing.

359
00:15:30,521 --> 00:15:39,131
And it's constantly reflecting you to you.

360
00:15:39,131 --> 00:15:41,916
And it's a bit wrong to 
say it's part of you,

361
00:15:41,916 --> 00:15:43,763
but there's also a sense, isn't there,

362
00:15:43,763 --> 00:15:46,499
where it's independent of you.

363
00:15:46,499 --> 00:15:48,384
I can close my eyes. They're closed.

364
00:15:48,384 --> 00:15:49,465
I can't see you now.

365
00:15:49,465 --> 00:15:54,970
I've not figured out how to 
shut my conscience off.

366
00:15:54,970 --> 00:16:00,000
Sadly, there is a way. I'll show you.

367
00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:04,266
But it's not easy to 
silence the conscience.

368
00:16:04,266 --> 00:16:05,996
It's there when you go to bed.

369
00:16:05,996 --> 00:16:09,826
I believe the reason that so 
many people stay so busy,

370
00:16:09,826 --> 00:16:13,423
so distracted, so constantly 
needing noise in their ears

371
00:16:13,423 --> 00:16:15,785
and visuals in front of their eyes

372
00:16:15,785 --> 00:16:17,198
is in many ways, just to keep

373
00:16:17,198 --> 00:16:20,101
their conscience at bay.

374
00:16:20,101 --> 00:16:22,759
They cannot bear the sound of silence

375
00:16:22,759 --> 00:16:25,612
because as soon as you meet silence,

376
00:16:25,612 --> 00:16:28,051
there's a sound.

377
00:16:28,051 --> 00:16:33,962
And it's the sound of your conscience.

378
00:16:33,962 --> 00:16:36,411
So, the conscience is a witness

379
00:16:36,411 --> 00:16:40,022
given by God that reflects

380
00:16:40,022 --> 00:16:42,190
whether we're either disobeying God's law

381
00:16:42,190 --> 00:16:43,244
or obeying it.

382
00:16:43,244 --> 00:16:45,077
It's either excusing us or accusing us

383
00:16:45,077 --> 00:16:45,941
all the time.

384
00:16:45,941 --> 00:16:48,139
And there's debate about how v. 16

385
00:16:48,139 --> 00:16:50,398
fits into Romans 2,

386
00:16:50,398 --> 00:16:52,912
but it does seem that the final judgment

387
00:16:52,912 --> 00:16:57,863
is not far off from the 
eyesight of the conscience.

388
00:16:57,863 --> 00:17:00,131
"On that day, when according to my gospel

389
00:17:00,131 --> 00:17:02,089
God judges the secrets of men

390
00:17:02,089 --> 00:17:03,144
by Christ Jesus."

391
00:17:03,144 --> 00:17:06,145
Your conscience right now is secret.

392
00:17:06,145 --> 00:17:08,769
I can't see your conscience.

393
00:17:08,769 --> 00:17:10,291
I don't know who in front of me

394
00:17:10,291 --> 00:17:11,570
is tormented with guilt,

395
00:17:11,570 --> 00:17:13,505
and who is genuinely joyful in the Lord.

396
00:17:13,505 --> 00:17:15,599
I don't know.

397
00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:18,624
And you can't see mine.

398
00:17:18,624 --> 00:17:22,104
Our consciences have a secret operation.

399
00:17:22,104 --> 00:17:23,633
But there will come a day

400
00:17:23,633 --> 00:17:25,467
when those secrets are all brought up

401
00:17:25,467 --> 00:17:27,021
before the Lord.

402
00:17:27,021 --> 00:17:28,526
And where the Lord will assess

403
00:17:28,526 --> 00:17:30,369
whether we've done right or wrong

404
00:17:30,369 --> 00:17:31,571
on the judgment day.

405
00:17:31,571 --> 00:17:32,863
And I'm going to tell you,

406
00:17:32,863 --> 00:17:34,832
I believe the conscience knows

407
00:17:34,832 --> 00:17:36,785
we've done wrong.

408
00:17:36,785 --> 00:17:39,547
Look at Romans 1:32.

409
00:17:39,547 --> 00:17:41,610
Romans 1:32.

410
00:17:41,610 --> 00:17:44,300
He's speaking about the Gentiles.

411
00:17:44,300 --> 00:17:46,559
He's just listed off this 
whole list of sins.

412
00:17:46,559 --> 00:17:48,911
Homosexuality, lesbianism,

413
00:17:48,911 --> 00:17:50,577
gossip, slander,

414
00:17:50,577 --> 00:17:52,152
disobedience to parents.

415
00:17:52,152 --> 00:17:54,951
He's listed off all these things

416
00:17:54,951 --> 00:17:56,683
that Kevin pointed out so well.

417
00:17:56,683 --> 00:17:58,477
We ought to feel compassionate about

418
00:17:58,477 --> 00:18:01,715
when we see them in other people.

419
00:18:01,715 --> 00:18:04,615
And he tells us how the Gentiles

420
00:18:04,615 --> 00:18:09,394
feel about all these sins they commit.

421
00:18:09,394 --> 00:18:11,860
They tell you it doesn't bother them.

422
00:18:11,860 --> 00:18:14,551
They tell you it's no big deal.

423
00:18:14,551 --> 00:18:21,065
They tell you they stopped feeling 
guilty about that years ago.

424
00:18:21,065 --> 00:18:23,871
Romans 1:32.

425
00:18:23,871 --> 00:18:26,097
"Though they know God's righteous decree

426
00:18:26,097 --> 00:18:27,800
that those who practice such things

427
00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:29,874
deserve to die,

428
00:18:29,874 --> 00:18:31,040
they not only do them,

429
00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:35,469
but give approval to those 
who practice them."

430
00:18:35,469 --> 00:18:38,262
People know that God has decreed

431
00:18:38,262 --> 00:18:40,888
the death sentence against their sin.

432
00:18:40,888 --> 00:18:42,495
They know that.

433
00:18:42,495 --> 00:18:45,140
Deeply.

434
00:18:45,140 --> 00:18:46,975
Their consciences remind them

435
00:18:46,975 --> 00:18:48,702
that they deserve to die

436
00:18:48,702 --> 00:18:50,211
because of their sin.

437
00:18:50,211 --> 00:18:51,829
And they gather around them people

438
00:18:51,829 --> 00:18:53,816
who go, "that's okay. It's no big deal."

439
00:18:53,816 --> 00:18:57,353
"Oh, don't get into that 
old antiquated morality."

440
00:18:57,353 --> 00:18:59,369
"That's all false. That's all lies."

441
00:18:59,369 --> 00:19:02,460
"You need to understand that 
we're free of all that stuff now."

442
00:19:02,460 --> 00:19:04,504
And they surround 
themselves with voices

443
00:19:04,504 --> 00:19:06,355
that say it's all okay.

444
00:19:06,355 --> 00:19:08,532
But when they put their 
head on the pillow,

445
00:19:08,532 --> 00:19:10,948
or have a moment of silence,

446
00:19:10,948 --> 00:19:14,159
it's there.

447
00:19:14,159 --> 00:19:18,847
I've done wrong.

448
00:19:18,847 --> 00:19:22,682
And I deserve to die.

449
00:19:22,682 --> 00:19:24,726
And I wonder how many of you here

450
00:19:24,726 --> 00:19:27,523
know you've done wrong

451
00:19:27,523 --> 00:19:30,900
and you deserve to die,

452
00:19:30,900 --> 00:19:33,108
and tonight will be the 
time you taste freedom

453
00:19:33,108 --> 00:19:36,523
for the first time.

454
00:19:36,523 --> 00:19:38,399
Wouldn't that be great?

455
00:19:38,399 --> 00:19:40,622
Come out of the shadows?

456
00:19:40,622 --> 00:19:42,873
Come out of the secrets?

457
00:19:42,873 --> 00:19:45,921
And have your conscience cleansed?

458
00:19:45,921 --> 00:19:49,648
I used to teach a Bible study in prison,

459
00:19:49,648 --> 00:19:52,190
and there were a number 
of men in the Bible study

460
00:19:52,190 --> 00:19:55,128
who had killed their wives.

461
00:19:55,128 --> 00:19:57,749
One of them denied it for years and years

462
00:19:57,749 --> 00:19:59,381
and years and years and years.

463
00:19:59,381 --> 00:20:01,877
And when he finally admitted 
that he'd killed his wife,

464
00:20:01,877 --> 00:20:05,023
they said he changed color.

465
00:20:05,023 --> 00:20:08,363
It was just life giving

466
00:20:08,363 --> 00:20:11,754
to come clean;

467
00:20:11,754 --> 00:20:15,473
to confess.

468
00:20:15,473 --> 00:20:19,008
So, here is a definition.

469
00:20:19,008 --> 00:20:21,563
I've been helped out with this.

470
00:20:21,563 --> 00:20:23,644
The conscience is that aspect

471
00:20:23,644 --> 00:20:26,436
because we're made in the image of God -

472
00:20:26,436 --> 00:20:28,930
the conscience is that aspect of us

473
00:20:28,930 --> 00:20:31,548
that tells us what's right

474
00:20:31,548 --> 00:20:33,129
and what's wrong.

475
00:20:33,129 --> 00:20:34,960
The conscience is that aspect of us

476
00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:36,871
because we're made in the image of God

477
00:20:36,871 --> 00:20:38,035
that witnesses to us

478
00:20:38,035 --> 00:20:40,127
about what is right and what is wrong.

479
00:20:40,127 --> 00:20:41,625
We're made in the image of God,

480
00:20:41,625 --> 00:20:43,429
and God is the kind of God who says,

481
00:20:43,429 --> 00:20:45,235
that's good; that's good; that's good.

482
00:20:45,235 --> 00:20:46,281
Man alone? Not good.

483
00:20:46,281 --> 00:20:48,171
Man with a wife? Very good.

484
00:20:48,171 --> 00:20:49,874
He is the God who says what's good,

485
00:20:49,874 --> 00:20:51,794
not good, and very good.

486
00:20:51,794 --> 00:20:53,664
We're made in His image.

487
00:20:53,664 --> 00:20:55,962
And so we have a conscience 
that bears witness

488
00:20:55,962 --> 00:21:01,638
to good, evil, not good, very good.

489
00:21:01,638 --> 00:21:03,279
We're made in the image of God

490
00:21:03,279 --> 00:21:05,074
and so like God, we cannot help

491
00:21:05,074 --> 00:21:11,233
but to witness to the reality of morality.

492
00:21:11,233 --> 00:21:13,188
That's what the conscience is.

493
00:21:13,188 --> 00:21:15,887
Everyone has one.

494
00:21:15,887 --> 00:21:18,918
Only you experience yours.

495
00:21:18,918 --> 00:21:21,091
It witnesses to what's 
going on in your heart

496
00:21:21,091 --> 00:21:22,154
regarding God's law -

497
00:21:22,154 --> 00:21:24,801
whether you're obeying it and 
you should be excused,

498
00:21:24,801 --> 00:21:28,556
or you're disobeying it 
and should be accused.

499
00:21:28,556 --> 00:21:32,037
And ultimately, all of our secret thoughts

500
00:21:32,037 --> 00:21:34,853
will be brought up to the judgment of God

501
00:21:34,853 --> 00:21:38,168
on the last day.

502
00:21:38,168 --> 00:21:41,333
This is my second point 
if you're keeping notes.

503
00:21:41,333 --> 00:21:43,109
If you're keeping notes, I'm sorry.

504
00:21:43,109 --> 00:21:45,008
I'm just the worst preacher for that.

505
00:21:45,008 --> 00:21:50,960
But, here's the second point.

506
00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,714
We've looked at what the conscience is,

507
00:21:53,714 --> 00:21:55,613
and now we want to look at the fact

508
00:21:55,613 --> 00:21:59,158
that the conscience has different states.

509
00:21:59,158 --> 00:22:01,308
The conscience can be in different states.

510
00:22:01,308 --> 00:22:03,204
And I don't mean the conscience can be

511
00:22:03,204 --> 00:22:04,531
in Mississippi and Alabama.

512
00:22:04,531 --> 00:22:09,401
I mean that it can be in 
different places before God.

513
00:22:09,401 --> 00:22:11,234
It can be in different states.

514
00:22:11,234 --> 00:22:12,756
This is implied in the verse.

515
00:22:12,756 --> 00:22:15,553
We wouldn't really need to go 
further than 1 Timothy 1:5.

516
00:22:15,553 --> 00:22:18,200
We will go further than 1 Timothy 1:5,

517
00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:20,847
but it's implied right 
there in 1 Timothy 1:5.

518
00:22:20,847 --> 00:22:23,039
The goal of our instruction is love

519
00:22:23,039 --> 00:22:24,696
from a good conscience.

520
00:22:24,696 --> 00:22:25,843
So one of the states

521
00:22:25,843 --> 00:22:27,714
that a conscience can be in

522
00:22:27,714 --> 00:22:29,837
is it can be good.

523
00:22:29,837 --> 00:22:31,953
You can have a good conscience.

524
00:22:31,953 --> 00:22:33,475
The implication of the verse is

525
00:22:33,475 --> 00:22:35,234
that when you start your Christian life,

526
00:22:35,234 --> 00:22:37,274
the conscience isn't as 
good as it should be

527
00:22:37,274 --> 00:22:39,956
and so you need Christian teaching

528
00:22:39,956 --> 00:22:44,380
to learn how to walk 
with a good conscience.

529
00:22:44,380 --> 00:22:46,448
The conscience can be in different states.

530
00:22:46,448 --> 00:22:48,273
And it's going to benefit us, I think,

531
00:22:48,273 --> 00:22:53,095
this evening.

532
00:22:53,095 --> 00:22:55,889
It's going to benefit us to think through

533
00:22:55,889 --> 00:22:57,849
some of the states

534
00:22:57,849 --> 00:22:59,738
the conscience can be in.

535
00:22:59,738 --> 00:23:00,970
This isn't exhaustive,

536
00:23:00,970 --> 00:23:04,067
but I hope it's helpful.

537
00:23:04,067 --> 00:23:08,024
The first is the conscience can be weak.

538
00:23:08,024 --> 00:23:11,684
The conscience can be weak.

539
00:23:11,684 --> 00:23:14,665
Look at 1 Corinthians 8.

540
00:23:14,665 --> 00:23:18,771
1 Corinthians 8, if you will.

541
00:23:18,771 --> 00:23:23,679
And we'll read verses 7-12.

542
00:23:23,679 --> 00:23:28,980
We'll put our fingers on v. 10.

543
00:23:28,980 --> 00:23:33,882
1 Corinthians 8:7-12.

544
00:23:33,882 --> 00:23:37,331
The situation is that 
some of the Corinthians

545
00:23:37,331 --> 00:23:40,800
were eating meat sacrificed to idols.

546
00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:42,339
And they'd gotten saved;

547
00:23:42,339 --> 00:23:44,172
they's realized that Zeus and Hermes

548
00:23:44,172 --> 00:23:46,075
and all these idols, they were nothing.

549
00:23:46,075 --> 00:23:47,535
They didn't even exist.

550
00:23:47,535 --> 00:23:49,907
And so the fact that in Corinth,

551
00:23:49,907 --> 00:23:51,428
all the meat in the meat market

552
00:23:51,428 --> 00:23:54,230
was sacrificed to idols didn't bother them

553
00:23:54,230 --> 00:23:57,605
because all the idols didn't exist.

554
00:23:57,605 --> 00:24:01,232
But Paul says in v. 7,

555
00:24:01,232 --> 00:24:03,731
not all possess this knowledge.

556
00:24:03,731 --> 00:24:05,543
Not every Christian's worked it out.

557
00:24:05,543 --> 00:24:07,154
Even though there's only one God,

558
00:24:07,154 --> 00:24:08,810
and Zeus and Hermes don't exist,

559
00:24:08,810 --> 00:24:11,073
not every Christian has 
fully appreciated that,

560
00:24:11,073 --> 00:24:12,464
fully understood that,

561
00:24:12,464 --> 00:24:13,776
fully gotten that.

562
00:24:13,776 --> 00:24:16,737
They're worshiping God and God alone,

563
00:24:16,737 --> 00:24:18,603
but man, Zeus and Hermes are real,

564
00:24:18,603 --> 00:24:22,762
and I don't want anything to do with them.

565
00:24:22,762 --> 00:24:23,959
And it says there,

566
00:24:23,959 --> 00:24:26,011
"not all possess this knowledge..."

567
00:24:26,011 --> 00:24:28,728
this knowledge that there is only one God,

568
00:24:28,728 --> 00:24:31,294
and there are no idols,

569
00:24:31,294 --> 00:24:34,666
"...but some through former 
association with idols

570
00:24:34,666 --> 00:24:38,795
eat food as really offered to an idol

571
00:24:38,795 --> 00:24:41,298
and their conscience being weak

572
00:24:41,298 --> 00:24:42,965
is defiled.

573
00:24:42,965 --> 00:24:44,855
Food will not commend us to God,

574
00:24:44,855 --> 00:24:47,104
we are no worse off if we do not eat,

575
00:24:47,104 --> 00:24:50,346
and no better off if we do,

576
00:24:50,346 --> 00:24:52,921
but take care that this right of yours

577
00:24:52,921 --> 00:24:55,304
does not somehow become a stumbling block

578
00:24:55,304 --> 00:24:56,278
to the weak.

579
00:24:56,278 --> 00:24:58,705
For if anyone sees you who have knowledge

580
00:24:58,705 --> 00:25:00,068
eating in an idol's temple,

581
00:25:00,068 --> 00:25:01,645
will he not be encouraged

582
00:25:01,645 --> 00:25:03,307
if his conscience is weak

583
00:25:03,307 --> 00:25:05,659
to eat food offered to idols

584
00:25:05,659 --> 00:25:08,204
and so by your knowledge, this weak person

585
00:25:08,204 --> 00:25:09,518
is destroyed,

586
00:25:09,518 --> 00:25:12,849
the brother for whom Christ died,

587
00:25:12,849 --> 00:25:14,482
thus sinning against your brother

588
00:25:14,482 --> 00:25:17,508
and wounding their 
conscience when it is weak,

589
00:25:17,508 --> 00:25:19,756
you sin against Christ.

590
00:25:19,756 --> 00:25:22,152
Therefore, if food makes 
my brother stumble,

591
00:25:22,152 --> 00:25:24,187
I will never eat meat,

592
00:25:24,187 --> 00:25:31,594
lest I make my brother stumble."

593
00:25:31,594 --> 00:25:33,252
The idea here is that

594
00:25:33,252 --> 00:25:35,491
some of these Christians,

595
00:25:35,491 --> 00:25:37,333
they couldn't get over the connection

596
00:25:37,333 --> 00:25:39,219
between the meat and the idols.

597
00:25:39,219 --> 00:25:40,437
They couldn't get over it.

598
00:25:40,437 --> 00:25:41,792
They couldn't get it out of their mind.

599
00:25:41,792 --> 00:25:42,980
It was like when I got saved.

600
00:25:42,980 --> 00:25:45,265
I had been to every nasty punk show

601
00:25:45,265 --> 00:25:46,497
before I got saved,

602
00:25:46,497 --> 00:25:47,986
and when I got to Bible college

603
00:25:47,986 --> 00:25:49,284
and found all these Christians

604
00:25:49,284 --> 00:25:50,960
listening to Christianized punk music,

605
00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:53,111
I couldn't understand 
how it could be good.

606
00:25:53,111 --> 00:25:55,050
It couldn't possibly be decent,

607
00:25:55,050 --> 00:25:57,541
because it had too many associations

608
00:25:57,541 --> 00:25:59,615
with the evil I had come out of

609
00:25:59,615 --> 00:26:03,519
for me to even conceive 
of it possibly being good.

610
00:26:03,519 --> 00:26:05,066
And these Christians in Corinth

611
00:26:05,066 --> 00:26:07,941
had so many memories of the pagan temples

612
00:26:07,941 --> 00:26:09,758
and so many memories of the wickedness

613
00:26:09,758 --> 00:26:10,840
that happened there,

614
00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:13,457
that the idea of eating meat

615
00:26:13,457 --> 00:26:15,447
that was sacrificed to those gods,

616
00:26:15,447 --> 00:26:18,291
they just couldn't handle that.

617
00:26:18,291 --> 00:26:21,175
They couldn't tolerate that.

618
00:26:21,175 --> 00:26:25,249
And so their consciences were weak.

619
00:26:25,249 --> 00:26:27,071
They were weak because they were not

620
00:26:27,071 --> 00:26:30,852
walking in the fullness 
of what God has revealed.

621
00:26:30,852 --> 00:26:32,115
And what God has revealed

622
00:26:32,115 --> 00:26:34,258
is that Zeus and Hermes don't exist.

623
00:26:34,258 --> 00:26:36,888
Mohammad and Allah don't exist.

624
00:26:36,888 --> 00:26:38,805
Vishnu doesn't exist.

625
00:26:38,805 --> 00:26:41,324
All the gods, all the false 
gods of this world,

626
00:26:41,324 --> 00:26:43,364
don't even exist,

627
00:26:43,364 --> 00:26:45,724
so you can sacrifice food 
all you want to them,

628
00:26:45,724 --> 00:26:48,367
they don't exist!

629
00:26:48,367 --> 00:26:50,777
But these believers had not been

630
00:26:50,777 --> 00:26:53,084
fully able to appreciate

631
00:26:53,084 --> 00:26:55,733
all of God's truth.

632
00:26:55,733 --> 00:26:57,622
Now, we're going to get into this later,

633
00:26:57,622 --> 00:26:59,340
but notice Paul's approach is not:

634
00:26:59,340 --> 00:27:01,394
"What's wrong with you not appreciating

635
00:27:01,394 --> 00:27:06,559
all of God's revealed truth?"

636
00:27:06,559 --> 00:27:08,511
His answer is:

637
00:27:08,511 --> 00:27:11,930
care for the weak brother.

638
00:27:11,930 --> 00:27:14,253
Don't offend him.

639
00:27:14,253 --> 00:27:17,692
He doesn't understand 
everything in the Bible,

640
00:27:17,692 --> 00:27:20,920
but he understands the 
things that save him.

641
00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:22,582
Don't hurt him.

642
00:27:22,582 --> 00:27:25,536
His conscience is weak.

643
00:27:25,536 --> 00:27:27,181
And there are people in our day

644
00:27:27,181 --> 00:27:29,820
who think that any touching of alcohol

645
00:27:29,820 --> 00:27:34,004
is a sin even though Jesus made wine.

646
00:27:34,004 --> 00:27:38,396
And your conscience is weak.

647
00:27:38,396 --> 00:27:39,975
There are people who think

648
00:27:39,975 --> 00:27:41,919
one day is holier than all the others,

649
00:27:41,919 --> 00:27:45,583
and Paul says their consciences are weak.

650
00:27:45,583 --> 00:27:46,940
Now, that's kind of hard, right?

651
00:27:46,940 --> 00:27:48,612
Because when your conscience is weak,

652
00:27:48,612 --> 00:27:52,265
you feel like it's pretty strong.

653
00:27:52,265 --> 00:27:53,522
Right?

654
00:27:53,522 --> 00:27:55,955
I've got a few of those issues myself.

655
00:27:55,955 --> 00:27:57,869
I've got a pretty good unbiblical case

656
00:27:57,869 --> 00:28:03,642
for what I believe.

657
00:28:03,642 --> 00:28:06,448
Nonetheless, Paul identifies

658
00:28:06,448 --> 00:28:08,802
certain consciences that have not

659
00:28:08,802 --> 00:28:11,253
walked into the fullness 
of God's revelation.

660
00:28:11,253 --> 00:28:15,945
He identifies them as weak.

661
00:28:15,945 --> 00:28:18,187
You're going to have a weak conscience.

662
00:28:18,187 --> 00:28:20,493
And conversely, you can 
have a strong conscience.

663
00:28:20,493 --> 00:28:22,825
A strong conscience is 
one that fully walks in

664
00:28:22,825 --> 00:28:30,387
what God has revealed to be okay.

665
00:28:30,387 --> 00:28:32,754
A conscience can also be seared.

666
00:28:32,754 --> 00:28:36,229
1 Timothy 4:1 please.

667
00:28:36,229 --> 00:28:46,979
A conscience can also be seared.

668
00:28:46,979 --> 00:28:49,139
1 Timothy 4:1

669
00:28:49,139 --> 00:28:50,848
Remember we're now in the same book

670
00:28:50,848 --> 00:28:56,284
that our first passage comes from.

671
00:28:56,284 --> 00:28:58,730
Paul says, "Now the Spirit expressly says

672
00:28:58,730 --> 00:29:00,193
that in later times, some will

673
00:29:00,193 --> 00:29:02,443
depart from the faith 
by devoting themselves

674
00:29:02,443 --> 00:29:04,025
to deceitful spirits

675
00:29:04,025 --> 00:29:06,131
and the teachings of demons

676
00:29:06,131 --> 00:29:08,254
through the insincerity of liars

677
00:29:08,254 --> 00:29:12,861
whose consciences are seared,

678
00:29:12,861 --> 00:29:15,345
who forbid marriage,

679
00:29:15,345 --> 00:29:17,406
and require abstinence from food

680
00:29:17,406 --> 00:29:19,242
that God created to be received

681
00:29:19,242 --> 00:29:21,154
with thanksgiving by those who believe

682
00:29:21,154 --> 00:29:22,237
and know the truth.

683
00:29:22,237 --> 00:29:24,660
For everything created by God is good

684
00:29:24,660 --> 00:29:26,183
and nothing is to be rejected

685
00:29:26,183 --> 00:29:28,104
if it is received with thanksgiving,

686
00:29:28,104 --> 00:29:32,810
for it is made holy by the 
Word of God and prayer."

687
00:29:32,810 --> 00:29:34,649
Now some of you could come up to me

688
00:29:34,649 --> 00:29:36,373
after the service,

689
00:29:36,373 --> 00:29:38,003
and if my experience is true,

690
00:29:38,003 --> 00:29:39,337
some of you will,

691
00:29:39,337 --> 00:29:42,598
and you've got burns.

692
00:29:42,598 --> 00:29:45,202
Places where your skin has been seared.

693
00:29:45,202 --> 00:29:46,443
And of course, you know,

694
00:29:46,443 --> 00:29:48,818
if you put out a match 
with your two fingers,

695
00:29:48,818 --> 00:29:50,207
it's no big deal,

696
00:29:50,207 --> 00:29:55,293
but if you fall onto the top of the stove

697
00:29:55,293 --> 00:29:58,350
or you wind up in a fire,

698
00:29:58,350 --> 00:30:00,931
you wind up with skin 
where the nerve damage

699
00:30:00,931 --> 00:30:04,001
is terrible, where you can no longer feel

700
00:30:04,001 --> 00:30:06,772
what's going on on the skin.

701
00:30:06,772 --> 00:30:09,891
And so what ought to be sensitive

702
00:30:09,891 --> 00:30:12,142
and sensitive to touch,

703
00:30:12,142 --> 00:30:16,142
you actually can't feel 
because it's seared.

704
00:30:16,142 --> 00:30:18,185
And the Bible says that the conscience

705
00:30:18,185 --> 00:30:21,430
can become like that.

706
00:30:21,430 --> 00:30:22,824
You know, one time, you say

707
00:30:22,824 --> 00:30:25,965
your first cuss word.

708
00:30:25,965 --> 00:30:28,024
Then years later, you're 
swearing like a sailor

709
00:30:28,024 --> 00:30:31,449
and you don't even notice.

710
00:30:31,449 --> 00:30:33,913
A person looks at their 
first pornographic image,

711
00:30:33,913 --> 00:30:35,519
and it's seared into their minds.

712
00:30:35,519 --> 00:30:36,882
It's blazed in there.

713
00:30:36,882 --> 00:30:38,208
And then, ten years later,

714
00:30:38,208 --> 00:30:39,846
they can't even remember how much

715
00:30:39,846 --> 00:30:41,261
garbage they've seen.

716
00:30:41,261 --> 00:30:42,888
The first time, it just bothered them,

717
00:30:42,888 --> 00:30:44,654
it tormented them.

718
00:30:44,654 --> 00:30:46,671
Ten years later, they didn't even realize

719
00:30:46,671 --> 00:30:51,007
it was wrong.

720
00:30:51,007 --> 00:30:54,626
That's a seared conscience.

721
00:30:54,626 --> 00:30:57,699
It's not sensitive

722
00:30:57,699 --> 00:31:00,414
the way it ought to be.

723
00:31:00,414 --> 00:31:01,899
And we tend to think about that

724
00:31:01,899 --> 00:31:03,097
with drugs and alcohol.

725
00:31:03,097 --> 00:31:04,871
If you get into drugs and alcohol,

726
00:31:04,871 --> 00:31:06,276
you'll sear your conscience,

727
00:31:06,276 --> 00:31:08,743
and you really will.

728
00:31:08,743 --> 00:31:12,481
But Paul's concern is 
actually with legalism.

729
00:31:12,481 --> 00:31:14,765
There's some people 
that say marriage is bad,

730
00:31:14,765 --> 00:31:18,939
and I'm here to tell you they're demonic.

731
00:31:18,939 --> 00:31:22,158
Isn't that what the verse says?

732
00:31:22,158 --> 00:31:24,399
"By devoting themselves 
to deceitful spirits

733
00:31:24,399 --> 00:31:28,387
and the teaching of demons."

734
00:31:28,387 --> 00:31:29,881
Some people forbid marriage.

735
00:31:29,881 --> 00:31:32,102
Some people make new rules and regulations

736
00:31:32,102 --> 00:31:33,966
where you've got to be 
just about like Jesus

737
00:31:33,966 --> 00:31:37,365
before you're allowed to marry anybody.

738
00:31:37,365 --> 00:31:38,939
They make it almost impossible

739
00:31:38,939 --> 00:31:41,294
for anyone to get married.

740
00:31:41,294 --> 00:31:48,566
You can court my daughter 
once you're perfect.

741
00:31:48,566 --> 00:31:52,869
That sounds godly.

742
00:31:52,869 --> 00:31:55,494
Sounds a lot like 1 Corinthians 7.

743
00:31:55,494 --> 00:32:00,812
If you're struggling, 
let them get married.

744
00:32:00,812 --> 00:32:02,246
Some people don't realize

745
00:32:02,246 --> 00:32:10,136
that tacos are a gift from God.

746
00:32:10,136 --> 00:32:12,323
Amen?

747
00:32:12,323 --> 00:32:14,141
If you don't agree,

748
00:32:14,141 --> 00:32:21,230
well, go back to that demonic verse.

749
00:32:21,230 --> 00:32:23,601
And we need to watch those things

750
00:32:23,601 --> 00:32:26,260
because it can feel very holy

751
00:32:26,260 --> 00:32:29,616
not to do certain things.

752
00:32:29,616 --> 00:32:31,673
When you get a zeal for the Lord,

753
00:32:31,673 --> 00:32:33,794
it's very easy for Satan to hijack that

754
00:32:33,794 --> 00:32:35,664
with a do not taste, do not handle,

755
00:32:35,664 --> 00:32:39,269
do not touch mentality.

756
00:32:39,269 --> 00:32:41,514
I used to do those things, 
but now I don't.

757
00:32:41,514 --> 00:32:43,483
Well, if what you mean is you used to be

758
00:32:43,483 --> 00:32:45,102
an adulterer, but now you're not?

759
00:32:45,102 --> 00:32:48,729
Good.

760
00:32:48,729 --> 00:32:50,844
But if you mean you used to enjoy food,

761
00:32:50,844 --> 00:32:52,972
but now you don't?

762
00:32:52,972 --> 00:32:55,751
Bad.

763
00:32:55,751 --> 00:33:00,989
Your conscience is being seared.

764
00:33:00,989 --> 00:33:03,803
Another aspect or state of the conscience

765
00:33:03,803 --> 00:33:06,097
can be in is guilty,

766
00:33:06,097 --> 00:33:08,518
or in the words of Hebrews in the ESV,

767
00:33:08,518 --> 00:33:09,540
"evil."

768
00:33:09,540 --> 00:33:12,754
Hebrews 10:22.

769
00:33:12,754 --> 00:33:21,122
Hebrews 10:22.

770
00:33:21,122 --> 00:33:25,742
Here the writer of Hebrews writes

771
00:33:25,742 --> 00:33:29,884
in Hebrews 10:22,

772
00:33:29,884 --> 00:33:32,308
"Let us draw near..."

773
00:33:32,308 --> 00:33:36,355
meaning, draw near to God.

774
00:33:36,355 --> 00:33:38,249
"...With a true heart

775
00:33:38,249 --> 00:33:40,297
in full assurance of faith,

776
00:33:40,297 --> 00:33:42,946
with our hearts sprinkled clean

777
00:33:42,946 --> 00:33:44,538
from an evil conscience..."

778
00:33:44,538 --> 00:33:46,035
Or as some translations put it:

779
00:33:46,035 --> 00:33:47,709
"from a guilty conscience,

780
00:33:47,709 --> 00:33:50,800
and our bodies washed with pure water."

781
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:52,021
Isn't this interesting?

782
00:33:52,021 --> 00:33:53,751
When we draw near to God,

783
00:33:53,751 --> 00:33:57,442
the conscience comes up, doesn't it?

784
00:33:57,442 --> 00:33:59,873
Because as soon as you 
go to draw near to God,

785
00:33:59,873 --> 00:34:02,985
ooh, that thing you said 
to your wife pops up.

786
00:34:02,985 --> 00:34:04,518
The fact that you weren't just

787
00:34:04,518 --> 00:34:06,291
biblically correcting your children,

788
00:34:06,291 --> 00:34:12,811
but you were screaming comes up.

789
00:34:12,811 --> 00:34:14,245
Years ago, I was preaching,

790
00:34:14,245 --> 00:34:16,626
and I hadn't planned on mentioned it,

791
00:34:16,626 --> 00:34:18,293
I just mentioned,

792
00:34:18,293 --> 00:34:20,539
maybe some of you have 
cheated on your taxes,

793
00:34:20,539 --> 00:34:22,313
and immediately, a lady 
comes up to me

794
00:34:22,313 --> 00:34:23,595
after the service and said,

795
00:34:23,595 --> 00:34:25,548
"I've never cheated on my taxes before.

796
00:34:25,548 --> 00:34:29,103
I cheated on them this year."

797
00:34:29,103 --> 00:34:32,489
It's amazing how things can just surface

798
00:34:32,489 --> 00:34:35,264
when we go to approach God.

799
00:34:35,264 --> 00:34:36,995
And if we're going to approach God

800
00:34:36,995 --> 00:34:38,619
and really enjoy it and actually

801
00:34:38,619 --> 00:34:41,558
commune with God,

802
00:34:41,558 --> 00:34:43,218
the guilt or the evil

803
00:34:43,218 --> 00:34:44,576
that's on our consciences

804
00:34:44,576 --> 00:34:46,805
needs to be cleansed.

805
00:34:46,805 --> 00:34:49,119
It needs to be washed away.

806
00:34:49,119 --> 00:34:50,693
Because otherwise, you know

807
00:34:50,693 --> 00:34:53,729
you're approaching a holy God

808
00:34:53,729 --> 00:34:55,937
as a dirty sinner.

809
00:34:55,937 --> 00:34:57,729
And that's simply not possible,

810
00:34:57,729 --> 00:35:00,557
because His eyes are too pure

811
00:35:00,557 --> 00:35:04,237
to behold what's sinful.

812
00:35:04,237 --> 00:35:06,367
So there's a guilty or evil conscience.

813
00:35:06,367 --> 00:35:08,650
And then, let's remember 
this one really quickly.

814
00:35:08,650 --> 00:35:11,839
There is such a thing 
as a purified conscience.

815
00:35:11,839 --> 00:35:14,991
A cleansed conscience.

816
00:35:14,991 --> 00:35:18,348
Hebrews 9:11-14.

817
00:35:18,348 --> 00:35:22,332
We'll look at v. 14.

818
00:35:22,332 --> 00:35:26,474
Hebrews 9, "How much more

819
00:35:26,474 --> 00:35:29,529
will the blood of Christ,

820
00:35:29,529 --> 00:35:31,531
who through the eternal Spirit

821
00:35:31,531 --> 00:35:35,413
offered Himself without blemish to God,

822
00:35:35,413 --> 00:35:39,551
purify your conscience

823
00:35:39,551 --> 00:35:42,140
from dead works...

824
00:35:42,140 --> 00:35:45,378
(works that call out for your death)

825
00:35:45,378 --> 00:35:48,304
to serve the living God."

826
00:35:48,304 --> 00:35:49,965
The apostle here is talking to us

827
00:35:49,965 --> 00:35:51,478
about how in the Old Testament,

828
00:35:51,478 --> 00:35:53,403
worship of God and the approach to God

829
00:35:53,403 --> 00:35:55,160
was when you approached His temple

830
00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:56,749
and approached His tabernacle,

831
00:35:56,749 --> 00:35:58,948
and this was done by sacrificing animals

832
00:35:58,948 --> 00:36:00,955
year after year after year.

833
00:36:00,955 --> 00:36:04,023
And we're told that the 
sacrificing of animals

834
00:36:04,023 --> 00:36:09,855
never took away the knowledge of sin.

835
00:36:09,855 --> 00:36:13,777
But how much more the blood of Christ,

836
00:36:13,777 --> 00:36:17,334
who was the Sheep without a blemish;

837
00:36:17,334 --> 00:36:18,645
who wasn't just one lamb,

838
00:36:18,645 --> 00:36:20,174
but was the Lamb of God.

839
00:36:20,174 --> 00:36:21,618
Behold, the Lamb of God,

840
00:36:21,618 --> 00:36:26,439
who takes away the sins of the world.

841
00:36:26,439 --> 00:36:29,048
It says here, "How much more 
will the blood of Christ,

842
00:36:29,048 --> 00:36:30,490
who through the eternal Spirit

843
00:36:30,490 --> 00:36:32,427
offered Himself without blemish to God,

844
00:36:32,427 --> 00:36:34,745
purify your conscience from dead works

845
00:36:34,745 --> 00:36:36,529
to serve the living God."

846
00:36:36,529 --> 00:36:37,387
Listen to me.

847
00:36:37,387 --> 00:36:40,280
Your conscience screams 
out for your death.

848
00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:42,487
Your conscience gnaws away at you

849
00:36:42,487 --> 00:36:43,535
for your death.

850
00:36:43,535 --> 00:36:45,236
Your conscience screams

851
00:36:45,236 --> 00:36:47,679
like the blood of guilt and says,

852
00:36:47,679 --> 00:36:50,000
"you deserve to die for that thing you did

853
00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:51,388
and for those things you did

854
00:36:51,388 --> 00:36:53,055
and for those attitudes you harbor.

855
00:36:53,055 --> 00:36:55,022
You deserve to die."

856
00:36:55,022 --> 00:36:57,220
And then Christ comes 
shedding His own blood

857
00:36:57,220 --> 00:36:59,110
and says, "I died."

858
00:36:59,110 --> 00:37:01,431
Your conscience screams 
for the wrath of God

859
00:37:01,431 --> 00:37:02,661
to be poured out on you.

860
00:37:02,661 --> 00:37:04,340
And Christ stands before you

861
00:37:04,340 --> 00:37:05,992
and takes the wrath of God;

862
00:37:05,992 --> 00:37:07,843
propitiating the wrath of God;

863
00:37:07,843 --> 00:37:11,148
taking all the wrath of God on Himself.

864
00:37:11,148 --> 00:37:13,147
The way to deal with the conscience

865
00:37:13,147 --> 00:37:18,594
is not to say, "Oh, everybody does it."

866
00:37:18,594 --> 00:37:23,728
"Oh, it's not that bad."

867
00:37:23,728 --> 00:37:27,778
"Oh, I'll forget about it eventually."

868
00:37:27,778 --> 00:37:31,388
Beloved, some of you will find

869
00:37:31,388 --> 00:37:33,366
that the conscience comes to haunt you

870
00:37:33,366 --> 00:37:36,083
in your last minute

871
00:37:36,083 --> 00:37:37,552
before you die.

872
00:37:37,552 --> 00:37:41,472
Those secrets will not go away.

873
00:37:41,472 --> 00:37:45,095
They must be dealt with 
by the blood of Christ.

874
00:37:45,095 --> 00:37:47,821
You feel dirty? He is clean.

875
00:37:47,821 --> 00:37:50,425
You feel defiled? He is pure.

876
00:37:50,425 --> 00:37:52,754
You feel like your conscience rages

877
00:37:52,754 --> 00:37:55,112
and calls out for the wrath of God?

878
00:37:55,112 --> 00:37:57,528
He has satisfied the wrath of God

879
00:37:57,528 --> 00:38:00,969
by taking upon Himself in His body

880
00:38:00,969 --> 00:38:02,375
on the tree.

881
00:38:02,375 --> 00:38:05,079
Beloved, you can be clean.

882
00:38:05,079 --> 00:38:08,353
I don't care if you killed your children,

883
00:38:08,353 --> 00:38:11,465
or if you drove your girlfriend 
to the abortion clinic,

884
00:38:11,465 --> 00:38:12,771
or if you've shot someone

885
00:38:12,771 --> 00:38:14,496
that you've never told anyone about,

886
00:38:14,496 --> 00:38:16,011
or if there's a harem in your mind

887
00:38:16,011 --> 00:38:17,943
from all the pornography you've looked at,

888
00:38:17,943 --> 00:38:20,570
or if you told a lie to your 
mother or your father,

889
00:38:20,570 --> 00:38:22,674
or you stole from your children,

890
00:38:22,674 --> 00:38:24,988
or you stole from your parents,

891
00:38:24,988 --> 00:38:26,645
or you stole from your boss -

892
00:38:26,645 --> 00:38:30,805
whatever it is, if you 
will lay it before Jesus,

893
00:38:30,805 --> 00:38:32,918
He will cleanse it.

894
00:38:32,918 --> 00:38:34,293
And He will take away

895
00:38:34,293 --> 00:38:37,692
even the consciousness of guilt.

896
00:38:37,692 --> 00:38:40,493
He will cleanse your conscience.

897
00:38:40,493 --> 00:38:42,566
A cleansed conscience is not a conscience

898
00:38:42,566 --> 00:38:44,263
that managed to forget guilt.

899
00:38:44,263 --> 00:38:46,334
It's a conscience that has experienced

900
00:38:46,334 --> 00:38:50,746
guilt dealt with by the 
price being fully paid

901
00:38:50,746 --> 00:38:53,403
at the cross.

902
00:38:53,403 --> 00:38:55,825
Oh, in the sea of God's forgetfulness.

903
00:38:55,825 --> 00:38:57,425
That's good enough for me.

904
00:38:57,425 --> 00:39:03,156
Praise God, my sins are gone!

905
00:39:03,156 --> 00:39:05,532
And then a conscience - 1 Timothy 1:5 -

906
00:39:05,532 --> 00:39:09,404
can be good.

907
00:39:09,404 --> 00:39:13,298
What's a good conscience?

908
00:39:13,298 --> 00:39:15,457
A good conscience is a conscience

909
00:39:15,457 --> 00:39:18,243
that is purified

910
00:39:18,243 --> 00:39:22,263
and is learning God's path.

911
00:39:22,263 --> 00:39:24,047
The good conscience is a conscience

912
00:39:24,047 --> 00:39:26,394
that is purified

913
00:39:26,394 --> 00:39:30,344
and is learning God's path.

914
00:39:30,344 --> 00:39:34,394
Think about the rest 
of the book of 1 Timothy.

915
00:39:34,394 --> 00:39:37,022
It unfolds how we ought to behave

916
00:39:37,022 --> 00:39:38,982
as people of the church.

917
00:39:38,982 --> 00:39:41,290
It teaches us how a person ought to behave

918
00:39:41,290 --> 00:39:43,606
when they are part of 
the household of God.

919
00:39:43,606 --> 00:39:45,111
And they way they ought to behave

920
00:39:45,111 --> 00:39:47,651
is explained and it's 
conscience-liberating

921
00:39:47,651 --> 00:39:48,959
to read the Word of God

922
00:39:48,959 --> 00:39:50,900
to realize what God expects of you.

923
00:39:50,900 --> 00:39:53,283
There are some pastors 
who feel terribly guilty

924
00:39:53,283 --> 00:39:55,215
because they're caring for their wives,

925
00:39:55,215 --> 00:39:56,827
caring for their children;

926
00:39:56,827 --> 00:39:58,348
they feel like they should 
be out every night.

927
00:39:58,348 --> 00:40:00,728
They need to go, go, go, go, go

928
00:40:00,728 --> 00:40:02,805
because people are 
dying and going to hell.

929
00:40:02,805 --> 00:40:05,014
And then the Bible comes 
along to their conscience

930
00:40:05,014 --> 00:40:10,249
and says no, you need to manage 
your own household well.

931
00:40:10,249 --> 00:40:15,241
Because if you can't manage 
your own household well,

932
00:40:15,241 --> 00:40:20,016
how will you manage God's church?

933
00:40:20,016 --> 00:40:21,652
And there's moms who think,

934
00:40:21,652 --> 00:40:24,041
I should be counseling;
I should be evangelizing.

935
00:40:24,041 --> 00:40:26,785
but instead I'm just caring for these 
kids and caring for this husband.

936
00:40:26,785 --> 00:40:29,197
Kids and husband. 
Kids and husband.

937
00:40:29,197 --> 00:40:31,382
All the time. All the time. All the time.

938
00:40:31,382 --> 00:40:34,358
And then 1 Timothy comes along

939
00:40:34,358 --> 00:40:38,403
in 1 Timothy 2 and says,

940
00:40:38,403 --> 00:40:41,221
you'll be saved through childbearing.

941
00:40:41,221 --> 00:40:43,142
"...If you continue in faith and love

942
00:40:43,142 --> 00:40:44,715
and holiness with self-control."

943
00:40:44,715 --> 00:40:49,356
That doesn't mean you have 
a baby, you go to heaven.

944
00:40:49,356 --> 00:40:51,074
It means the ordinary context

945
00:40:51,074 --> 00:40:52,604
in which a woman who's married

946
00:40:52,604 --> 00:40:54,948
will work out her salvation 
with fear and trembling

947
00:40:54,948 --> 00:40:58,785
will be in the task of mothering.

948
00:40:58,785 --> 00:41:01,624
Are you preoccupied with mothering?

949
00:41:01,624 --> 00:41:06,350
Well, if you're a mother, praise God!

950
00:41:06,350 --> 00:41:08,048
Let the truth of God's Word

951
00:41:08,048 --> 00:41:10,354
inform your conscience

952
00:41:10,354 --> 00:41:12,293
so that it's good.

953
00:41:12,293 --> 00:41:14,755
You know how many 
places it says in the Bible

954
00:41:14,755 --> 00:41:17,129
that if you have a pile of 
laundry in the basement,

955
00:41:17,129 --> 00:41:20,496
you're in sin?

956
00:41:20,496 --> 00:41:24,892
Nowhere.

957
00:41:24,892 --> 00:41:26,964
And if you let it bind your conscience,

958
00:41:26,964 --> 00:41:28,695
it will ruin you.

959
00:41:28,695 --> 00:41:30,258
We're laughing, but there are

960
00:41:30,258 --> 00:41:34,127
depressed, demoralized, discouraged women

961
00:41:34,127 --> 00:41:36,148
who are binding their consciences

962
00:41:36,148 --> 00:41:37,988
with the things the Word of God

963
00:41:37,988 --> 00:41:40,054
says nothing about.

964
00:41:40,054 --> 00:41:41,105
You've got a friend,

965
00:41:41,105 --> 00:41:42,652
and they're selling vitamins,

966
00:41:42,652 --> 00:41:44,228
and if you buy these vitamins,

967
00:41:44,228 --> 00:41:50,024
you'll be broke but your 
kids will live forever.

968
00:41:50,024 --> 00:41:52,980
What kind of a mother am I

969
00:41:52,980 --> 00:41:58,855
buying Happy Meals?

970
00:41:58,855 --> 00:42:00,444
Well, you're a good mother.

971
00:42:00,444 --> 00:42:06,873
There's good toys in the Happy Meals.

972
00:42:06,873 --> 00:42:09,562
We don't dare bind ourselves.

973
00:42:09,562 --> 00:42:11,059
It's no small issue.

974
00:42:11,059 --> 00:42:13,552
Calvin said people think that we reformers

975
00:42:13,552 --> 00:42:14,869
are making a big deal

976
00:42:14,869 --> 00:42:17,286
by speaking about holy days and vestments

977
00:42:17,286 --> 00:42:19,079
and saying that they have 
no place in the church.

978
00:42:19,079 --> 00:42:21,212
He said we are right on target

979
00:42:21,212 --> 00:42:23,107
because as soon as the conscience

980
00:42:23,107 --> 00:42:25,561
binds itself with things that are

981
00:42:25,561 --> 00:42:27,250
beyond the Word of God,

982
00:42:27,250 --> 00:42:30,618
it produces no end of misery.

983
00:42:30,618 --> 00:42:32,602
He says that first, a person will say

984
00:42:32,602 --> 00:42:33,803
I can't drink wine.

985
00:42:33,803 --> 00:42:35,019
And then, they'll think,

986
00:42:35,019 --> 00:42:36,534
I can't drink sparkling water.

987
00:42:36,534 --> 00:42:40,641
And then they won't be able to 
find a water that's clean enough.

988
00:42:40,641 --> 00:42:43,761
That's what your conscience will do

989
00:42:43,761 --> 00:42:46,350
if it's not gripped by the Word of God

990
00:42:46,350 --> 00:42:48,664
and the Word of God alone.

991
00:42:48,664 --> 00:42:50,157
I remember as a young pastor,

992
00:42:50,157 --> 00:42:52,018
I was pastoring all these young people.

993
00:42:52,018 --> 00:42:53,915
I'm still pastoring all 
these young people.

994
00:42:53,915 --> 00:42:55,033
And I was really young.

995
00:42:55,033 --> 00:42:56,915
I'm still pretty young, 
but I was even younger.

996
00:42:56,915 --> 00:42:58,675
And they were even younger.

997
00:42:58,675 --> 00:43:01,607
So we were just the 
blind leading the blind.

998
00:43:01,607 --> 00:43:04,164
And I thought I need to preach
on marriage and the family,

999
00:43:04,164 --> 00:43:05,228
and I need to give them

1000
00:43:05,228 --> 00:43:07,137
all kinds of instructions 
on how dad's need to

1001
00:43:07,137 --> 00:43:08,635
take their kids deer hunting

1002
00:43:08,635 --> 00:43:10,709
to make them real men
and eat steak with them.

1003
00:43:10,709 --> 00:43:12,906
And moms need to do this and that.

1004
00:43:12,906 --> 00:43:14,055
I need to give them all these

1005
00:43:14,055 --> 00:43:15,813
incredible, great family values

1006
00:43:15,813 --> 00:43:18,799
to protect them from the 
ungodliness of the world.

1007
00:43:18,799 --> 00:43:21,977
And then you read your Bible, and?

1008
00:43:21,977 --> 00:43:29,021
None of it's there!

1009
00:43:29,021 --> 00:43:31,928
Paul's writing to pagans

1010
00:43:31,928 --> 00:43:36,427
converted to Christianity in Colossians.

1011
00:43:36,427 --> 00:43:38,133
And he's going to teach them

1012
00:43:38,133 --> 00:43:44,163
how to do marriage.

1013
00:43:44,163 --> 00:43:49,284
Husbands, love your wives. Next verse.

1014
00:43:49,284 --> 00:43:50,808
What about the date night?

1015
00:43:50,808 --> 00:43:55,759
What about the full financial plan?

1016
00:43:55,759 --> 00:43:58,528
What about putting a 
maximum security prison

1017
00:43:58,528 --> 00:44:03,790
around your daughter until she's 25?

1018
00:44:03,790 --> 00:44:08,326
Who forgot that part?

1019
00:44:08,326 --> 00:44:10,653
Listen to me.

1020
00:44:10,653 --> 00:44:14,613
Believing in the 
sufficiency of Scripture -

1021
00:44:14,613 --> 00:44:16,893
that's the doctrine that 
Scripture is enough

1022
00:44:16,893 --> 00:44:19,549
to lead us into all godliness -

1023
00:44:19,549 --> 00:44:21,588
believing in the sufficiency of Scripture

1024
00:44:21,588 --> 00:44:22,933
not only means that you

1025
00:44:22,933 --> 00:44:27,565
say all that Scripture says,

1026
00:44:27,565 --> 00:44:30,053
but that you don't say

1027
00:44:30,053 --> 00:44:33,308
what the Scripture doesn't say.

1028
00:44:33,308 --> 00:44:35,690
Because if God shuts His mouth,

1029
00:44:35,690 --> 00:44:38,613
He knows what He's doing.

1030
00:44:38,613 --> 00:44:40,721
And what happens when you pare down

1031
00:44:40,721 --> 00:44:42,912
godliness to those basic things,

1032
00:44:42,912 --> 00:44:44,444
is you get a gospel that can

1033
00:44:44,444 --> 00:44:46,041
take the planet by storm,

1034
00:44:46,041 --> 00:44:47,303
instead of getting caught up

1035
00:44:47,303 --> 00:44:49,631
in your cultural baggage.

1036
00:44:49,631 --> 00:44:50,986
You wind up with a gospel

1037
00:44:50,986 --> 00:44:53,184
that can go to every 
single part of the planet

1038
00:44:53,184 --> 00:44:54,910
not wrapped in American clothes

1039
00:44:54,910 --> 00:44:56,566
or Victorian English clothes,

1040
00:44:56,566 --> 00:44:59,204
but wrapped in the clothes of Christ,

1041
00:44:59,204 --> 00:45:01,784
bringing people to the 
essence of godliness.

1042
00:45:01,784 --> 00:45:03,449
Love your wife. How do you do it?

1043
00:45:03,449 --> 00:45:04,759
Well, we do a date night.

1044
00:45:04,759 --> 00:45:09,660
Oh yeah? We don't. But I love her too.

1045
00:45:09,660 --> 00:45:11,443
Which one of us is godlier?

1046
00:45:11,443 --> 00:45:14,190
That's not the point.

1047
00:45:14,190 --> 00:45:16,659
A good conscience is one

1048
00:45:16,659 --> 00:45:22,319
that is led by the Word of God alone!

1049
00:45:22,319 --> 00:45:26,263
And it's not a little holier to add to it.

1050
00:45:26,263 --> 00:45:28,369
It's demonic.

1051
00:45:28,369 --> 00:45:30,344
And it wrecks people souls,

1052
00:45:30,344 --> 00:45:32,042
and it eats their consciences up,

1053
00:45:32,042 --> 00:45:34,587
and it steals their joy from loving

1054
00:45:34,587 --> 00:45:37,379
the pure sacrifice of 
the Lord Jesus Christ.

1055
00:45:37,379 --> 00:45:39,735
It's not a joke.

1056
00:45:39,735 --> 00:45:41,417
We've got people who are so serious

1057
00:45:41,417 --> 00:45:43,308
about not being worldly

1058
00:45:43,308 --> 00:45:45,118
in the drugs and alcohol way,

1059
00:45:45,118 --> 00:45:47,128
but who love to flirt with worldliness

1060
00:45:47,128 --> 00:45:50,454
in the legalism way.

1061
00:45:50,454 --> 00:46:00,275
Deadly!

1062
00:46:00,275 --> 00:46:02,217
Now, what I want to do with the time

1063
00:46:02,217 --> 00:46:04,100
we have remaining -

1064
00:46:04,100 --> 00:46:06,729
and I'm planning to have 
quite a bit of time remaining,

1065
00:46:06,729 --> 00:46:12,756
just in case you're curious -

1066
00:46:12,756 --> 00:46:14,765
what I want to do in the time remaining

1067
00:46:14,765 --> 00:46:16,750
is I want to discuss the relationship

1068
00:46:16,750 --> 00:46:22,453
(incomplete thought) -

1069
00:46:22,453 --> 00:46:27,088
three different relationships 
your conscience is in.

1070
00:46:27,088 --> 00:46:32,881
The relationship between your 
conscience and the devil.

1071
00:46:32,881 --> 00:46:37,648
The relationship between your 
conscience and the world.

1072
00:46:37,648 --> 00:46:38,938
And then your relationship

1073
00:46:38,938 --> 00:46:43,575
between the conscience and the church.

1074
00:46:43,575 --> 00:46:49,398
First, your conscience and the devil.

1075
00:46:49,398 --> 00:46:53,458
You can turn to Colossians 2.

1076
00:46:53,458 --> 00:46:57,011
Relationship between your conscience

1077
00:46:57,011 --> 00:47:01,510
and the devil.

1078
00:47:01,510 --> 00:47:03,734
It all sounds so easy 
when I say it, right?

1079
00:47:03,734 --> 00:47:05,753
A good conscience is one that's purified

1080
00:47:05,753 --> 00:47:10,709
and follows God's path.

1081
00:47:10,709 --> 00:47:17,985
Go.

1082
00:47:17,985 --> 00:47:20,109
A good conscience is one that's purified

1083
00:47:20,109 --> 00:47:21,620
and follows God's path,

1084
00:47:21,620 --> 00:47:23,225
but we have an enemy who's called

1085
00:47:23,225 --> 00:47:29,216
the accuser of the brethren.

1086
00:47:29,216 --> 00:47:33,575
And he loves to accuse our consciences.

1087
00:47:33,575 --> 00:47:35,529
He likes to throw fiery darts at them.

1088
00:47:35,529 --> 00:47:39,973
He likes to hail us with accusations.

1089
00:47:39,973 --> 00:47:42,545
He likes to assault us

1090
00:47:42,545 --> 00:47:46,741
by reminding us of the 
condemnation of God's law,

1091
00:47:46,741 --> 00:47:48,490
and then he'll even condemn us

1092
00:47:48,490 --> 00:47:52,797
with laws that go beyond God's law.

1093
00:47:52,797 --> 00:47:55,558
And you need to know 
how to deal with the devil.

1094
00:47:55,558 --> 00:47:58,268
Because you can lay hold of Christ,

1095
00:47:58,268 --> 00:48:00,253
and you can try to follow God's path,

1096
00:48:00,253 --> 00:48:03,497
and the devil will be there pelting you

1097
00:48:03,497 --> 00:48:04,714
with accusations.

1098
00:48:04,714 --> 00:48:09,818
You didn't do that one perfectly enough.

1099
00:48:09,818 --> 00:48:13,072
Have you ever thought about it -

1100
00:48:13,072 --> 00:48:15,558
the devil doesn't have a conscience

1101
00:48:15,558 --> 00:48:16,647
holding him back.

1102
00:48:16,647 --> 00:48:19,491
He doesn't have a heart holding him back.

1103
00:48:19,491 --> 00:48:20,953
Even the wickedest human being

1104
00:48:20,953 --> 00:48:23,382
has some semblance of good left in them.

1105
00:48:23,382 --> 00:48:26,694
There is no good in the devil.

1106
00:48:26,694 --> 00:48:29,567
He is all evil.

1107
00:48:29,567 --> 00:48:33,129
And he wants us all dead and destroyed.

1108
00:48:33,129 --> 00:48:36,452
He will accuse you until your joy is gone.

1109
00:48:36,452 --> 00:48:41,363
And if he can, he'll have you leave Jesus.

1110
00:48:41,363 --> 00:48:42,960
And you need to know what to do

1111
00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:44,803
when he comes to you with accusations.

1112
00:48:44,803 --> 00:48:46,503
And I would suggest one thing to do

1113
00:48:46,503 --> 00:48:55,055
is to remember Colossians 2:13-15.

1114
00:48:55,055 --> 00:48:56,822
Paul talking to Christians says,

1115
00:48:56,822 --> 00:48:59,269
"You were dead in your trespasses and sins

1116
00:48:59,269 --> 00:49:01,078
in the uncircumcision of your flesh."

1117
00:49:01,078 --> 00:49:03,169
You were dead - walking in the way of sin,

1118
00:49:03,169 --> 00:49:05,998
following the way of the devil,
Ephesians 2 says.

1119
00:49:05,998 --> 00:49:08,831
Unresponsive to God.

1120
00:49:08,831 --> 00:49:11,222
"And God made you alive 
together with Him..."

1121
00:49:11,222 --> 00:49:12,301
Together with Christ.

1122
00:49:12,301 --> 00:49:14,699
"...Having forgiven all of our trespasses

1123
00:49:14,699 --> 00:49:17,176
by cancelling the record of debt

1124
00:49:17,176 --> 00:49:19,084
that stood against us

1125
00:49:19,084 --> 00:49:20,551
with its legal demands.

1126
00:49:20,551 --> 00:49:21,748
This He set aside,

1127
00:49:21,748 --> 00:49:23,059
nailing it to the cross."

1128
00:49:23,059 --> 00:49:24,710
So the law says to you,

1129
00:49:24,710 --> 00:49:27,417
"you owe God perfect obedience

1130
00:49:27,417 --> 00:49:29,231
and if you're not perfectly obedient,

1131
00:49:29,231 --> 00:49:30,924
you deserve to die.

1132
00:49:30,924 --> 00:49:32,514
You owe God your life.

1133
00:49:32,514 --> 00:49:36,891
You deserve to die."

1134
00:49:36,891 --> 00:49:42,209
But Christ came and died for believers.

1135
00:49:42,209 --> 00:49:45,007
He came and took the curse of the law,

1136
00:49:45,007 --> 00:49:46,968
says Galatians 3, on Himself,

1137
00:49:46,968 --> 00:49:50,137
so that the death penalty 
that you and I deserve

1138
00:49:50,137 --> 00:49:51,470
was poured out on Christ,

1139
00:49:51,470 --> 00:49:53,957
so that that death penalty 
is no longer there to be had

1140
00:49:53,957 --> 00:49:56,335
because it's been, as our 
brother said yesterday,

1141
00:49:56,335 --> 00:50:00,595
paid in full.

1142
00:50:00,595 --> 00:50:01,886
Now what the devil will do

1143
00:50:01,886 --> 00:50:03,596
is he will put a gun to your head,

1144
00:50:03,596 --> 00:50:05,767
and he will say, "you are guilty

1145
00:50:05,767 --> 00:50:07,256
and you will be condemned.

1146
00:50:07,256 --> 00:50:09,550
You are guilty and you will be condemned.

1147
00:50:09,550 --> 00:50:11,711
You have not loved God 
with all your heart,

1148
00:50:11,711 --> 00:50:12,823
with all your soul,

1149
00:50:12,823 --> 00:50:13,868
and with all your mind,

1150
00:50:13,868 --> 00:50:16,077
and you have not loved 
your neighbor as yourself,

1151
00:50:16,077 --> 00:50:19,003
and you are going to be condemned."

1152
00:50:19,003 --> 00:50:20,348
And when the devil does that

1153
00:50:20,348 --> 00:50:22,327
with his gun to your head, you say,

1154
00:50:22,327 --> 00:50:29,219
"There's no bullets in the gun, devil."

1155
00:50:29,219 --> 00:50:32,511
"This He set aside, 
nailing it to the cross.

1156
00:50:32,511 --> 00:50:34,624
He disarmed (that is, God disarmed)

1157
00:50:34,624 --> 00:50:36,385
the rulers and authorities

1158
00:50:36,385 --> 00:50:37,994
(that's the satanic powers -

1159
00:50:37,994 --> 00:50:40,289
the principalities and 
the powers of this world) -

1160
00:50:40,289 --> 00:50:42,288
He disarmed the rulers and authorities

1161
00:50:42,288 --> 00:50:44,529
and put them to an open shame

1162
00:50:44,529 --> 00:50:47,916
by triumphing over them in Him."

1163
00:50:47,916 --> 00:50:49,409
The devil comes and tells you

1164
00:50:49,409 --> 00:50:50,461
you're condemned;

1165
00:50:50,461 --> 00:50:52,018
your sins can't be forgiven,

1166
00:50:52,018 --> 00:50:53,907
you've got that one sin;

1167
00:50:53,907 --> 00:50:56,923
or your sanctification 
hasn't been fast enough,

1168
00:50:56,923 --> 00:50:59,141
and he puts you under God's law,

1169
00:50:59,141 --> 00:51:00,921
and he tells you you're condemned,

1170
00:51:00,921 --> 00:51:03,522
and he will roar and he will rage

1171
00:51:03,522 --> 00:51:05,773
and he will do everything to convince you

1172
00:51:05,773 --> 00:51:08,168
that he has all the power to condemn you,

1173
00:51:08,168 --> 00:51:09,520
and you need to remind him,

1174
00:51:09,520 --> 00:51:13,271
he is disarmed.

1175
00:51:13,271 --> 00:51:16,143
Because what's he threatening you with?

1176
00:51:16,143 --> 00:51:18,981
The condemnation of the law?

1177
00:51:18,981 --> 00:51:20,765
Well, if Jesus did anything,

1178
00:51:20,765 --> 00:51:24,018
He took the condemnation of the law away.

1179
00:51:24,018 --> 00:51:26,010
"God made Jesus who knew no sin

1180
00:51:26,010 --> 00:51:28,100
to be sin for us, that we might become

1181
00:51:28,100 --> 00:51:30,151
the righteousness of God in Him."

1182
00:51:30,151 --> 00:51:33,042
"There's no condemnation for 
those who are in Christ Jesus."

1183
00:51:33,042 --> 00:51:37,505
And the devil has only empty threats.

1184
00:51:37,505 --> 00:51:41,032
You remember that when 
he comes to rage at you.

1185
00:51:41,032 --> 00:51:44,352
You hold on to that, and he will flee.

1186
00:51:44,352 --> 00:51:46,287
The other thing you need to remember

1187
00:51:46,287 --> 00:51:48,699
when you're dealing with the devil

1188
00:51:48,699 --> 00:51:51,622
is that he always wants 
you in front of the law,

1189
00:51:51,622 --> 00:51:55,982
not in front of the Father.

1190
00:51:55,982 --> 00:51:58,447
The devil always wants 
you in front of the law,

1191
00:51:58,447 --> 00:51:59,924
not in front of the Father.

1192
00:51:59,924 --> 00:52:01,918
The law says you've got to do everything

1193
00:52:01,918 --> 00:52:05,004
I've commanded, or you're dead.

1194
00:52:05,004 --> 00:52:07,321
The Father says I had everything done

1195
00:52:07,321 --> 00:52:11,270
for me in Christ, and you're Mine.

1196
00:52:11,270 --> 00:52:14,221
The law accepts only perfect obedience

1197
00:52:14,221 --> 00:52:16,525
or you're dead.

1198
00:52:16,525 --> 00:52:18,578
The Father has received perfect obedience

1199
00:52:18,578 --> 00:52:20,616
through Christ and now delights

1200
00:52:20,616 --> 00:52:25,369
in your growing imperfect obedience.

1201
00:52:25,369 --> 00:52:27,606
The law expects perfection

1202
00:52:27,606 --> 00:52:29,923
and executes perfect righteousness.

1203
00:52:29,923 --> 00:52:31,745
The gospel says perfect righteousness

1204
00:52:31,745 --> 00:52:32,935
has been satisfied

1205
00:52:32,935 --> 00:52:34,677
and now delights to see

1206
00:52:34,677 --> 00:52:36,817
the flower of the new birth

1207
00:52:36,817 --> 00:52:39,896
growing in your soul.

1208
00:52:39,896 --> 00:52:43,128
You say, where's that in the Bible?

1209
00:52:43,128 --> 00:52:47,406
Well, there's one example in John 17:6.

1210
00:52:47,406 --> 00:52:50,663
John 17:6.

1211
00:52:50,663 --> 00:52:54,735
Here's Jesus praying for Peter,

1212
00:52:54,735 --> 00:52:57,321
and James, and John,

1213
00:52:57,321 --> 00:52:59,174
and all those disciples who would

1214
00:52:59,174 --> 00:53:02,661
fight about who was the greatest.

1215
00:53:02,661 --> 00:53:04,254
And who would stumble

1216
00:53:04,254 --> 00:53:07,535
in their discipleship.

1217
00:53:07,535 --> 00:53:09,178
And Jesus prays in John 17:6.

1218
00:53:09,178 --> 00:53:10,865
Now remember, He's praying to God.

1219
00:53:10,865 --> 00:53:12,638
He's not putting on a show for man.

1220
00:53:12,638 --> 00:53:14,628
He's praying to God.

1221
00:53:14,628 --> 00:53:16,647
He says, "I have manifested Your name

1222
00:53:16,647 --> 00:53:18,778
to the people whom You 
gave Me out of the world."

1223
00:53:18,778 --> 00:53:22,404
I showed Your people You.

1224
00:53:22,404 --> 00:53:23,923
I have manifested Your name -

1225
00:53:23,923 --> 00:53:25,614
Your character -

1226
00:53:25,614 --> 00:53:29,108
to the people You gave 
Me out of the world.

1227
00:53:29,108 --> 00:53:31,523
"Yours they were,

1228
00:53:31,523 --> 00:53:36,565
and You gave them to Me,

1229
00:53:36,565 --> 00:53:41,769
and they have kept Your Word."

1230
00:53:41,769 --> 00:53:44,005
Do you know who He's talking about?

1231
00:53:44,005 --> 00:53:46,837
Have you read the Gospels?

1232
00:53:46,837 --> 00:53:48,818
Peter, James, John...

1233
00:53:48,818 --> 00:53:50,658
the other ones.

1234
00:53:50,658 --> 00:53:52,286
"I want to be on His right hand."

1235
00:53:52,286 --> 00:53:54,384
"Go tell mom to argue that I should be

1236
00:53:54,384 --> 00:53:56,882
on His right hand."

1237
00:53:56,882 --> 00:54:00,688
These guys.

1238
00:54:00,688 --> 00:54:06,651
"They have kept Your Word."

1239
00:54:06,651 --> 00:54:09,454
Now Jesus isn't saying they were perfect.

1240
00:54:09,454 --> 00:54:13,587
But He's saying that the direction 
of their life was pleasing.

1241
00:54:13,587 --> 00:54:15,073
And He was assessing their life

1242
00:54:15,073 --> 00:54:19,379
like a father assesses his own child.

1243
00:54:19,379 --> 00:54:22,380
Have you ever seen a 5 
year old clean their room?

1244
00:54:22,380 --> 00:54:26,873
It's fairly pathetic.

1245
00:54:26,873 --> 00:54:28,487
But if you walk into that room

1246
00:54:28,487 --> 00:54:30,420
and see that the covers were basically

1247
00:54:30,420 --> 00:54:31,649
moved in the direction,

1248
00:54:31,649 --> 00:54:34,934
and the toys weren't all 
just hidden under the bed,

1249
00:54:34,934 --> 00:54:36,718
if you're a halfway decent father,

1250
00:54:36,718 --> 00:54:38,586
you celebrate right then and there.

1251
00:54:38,586 --> 00:54:41,573
You did what I said.

1252
00:54:41,573 --> 00:54:43,729
And the Lord loves to delight

1253
00:54:43,729 --> 00:54:47,598
in the imperfect 
obedience of His children.

1254
00:54:47,598 --> 00:54:50,537
Oh, He will discipline His children 
when they're disobedient,

1255
00:54:50,537 --> 00:54:53,447
but there's only imperfect obedience,

1256
00:54:53,447 --> 00:54:55,070
and He delights in it.

1257
00:54:55,070 --> 00:54:56,139
And you need to know

1258
00:54:56,139 --> 00:54:58,797
that the devil will 
never let you see that.

1259
00:54:58,797 --> 00:55:03,735
But Christ will keep that 
before your eyes.

1260
00:55:03,735 --> 00:55:08,279
Without that, you'll have no 
freedom in your conscience.

1261
00:55:08,279 --> 00:55:11,403
Second one, real quick.

1262
00:55:11,403 --> 00:55:15,789
Your conscience's 
relationship to the world.

1263
00:55:15,789 --> 00:55:20,975
2 Corinthians 4:1.

1264
00:55:20,975 --> 00:55:24,767
Our brother gave such a good definition

1265
00:55:24,767 --> 00:55:27,237
of natural Christianity;

1266
00:55:27,237 --> 00:55:28,620
being a normal person;

1267
00:55:28,620 --> 00:55:31,096
hanging out with your unbelieving friends

1268
00:55:31,096 --> 00:55:33,284
and relatives in a normal way.

1269
00:55:33,284 --> 00:55:38,078
Kevin did such a great job of that.

1270
00:55:38,078 --> 00:55:43,064
What's your job once you're 
washing the dishes with them?

1271
00:55:43,064 --> 00:55:45,675
Maybe even occasionally 
singing the secular song

1272
00:55:45,675 --> 00:55:48,071
that's in the background 
while you're doing it?

1273
00:55:48,071 --> 00:55:51,127
But not if it's a bad one.

1274
00:55:51,127 --> 00:55:55,304
What's your job then?

1275
00:55:55,304 --> 00:55:59,429
2 Corinthians 4:1.

1276
00:55:59,429 --> 00:56:01,815
"Thereby having this ministry 
by the mercy of God

1277
00:56:01,815 --> 00:56:04,506
we do not lose heart.

1278
00:56:04,506 --> 00:56:08,909
But we have renounced 
disgraceful, underhanded ways.

1279
00:56:08,909 --> 00:56:10,400
We refuse to practice cunning

1280
00:56:10,400 --> 00:56:13,869
or to tamper with God's Word..."

1281
00:56:13,869 --> 00:56:20,572
We're not slick and fancy in our ministry.

1282
00:56:20,572 --> 00:56:22,513
"But by the open statement of the truth,

1283
00:56:22,513 --> 00:56:23,890
we would commend ourselves

1284
00:56:23,890 --> 00:56:26,719
to everyone's conscience 
in the sight of God."

1285
00:56:26,719 --> 00:56:28,398
That's all we're called to do.

1286
00:56:28,398 --> 00:56:30,544
Openly state the truth

1287
00:56:30,544 --> 00:56:35,612
and place it on people's consciences.

1288
00:56:35,612 --> 00:56:39,782
But when I say that we're sinners,

1289
00:56:39,782 --> 00:56:41,430
they don't listen.

1290
00:56:41,430 --> 00:56:43,038
When I say Christ died for sins,

1291
00:56:43,038 --> 00:56:44,665
they don't listen.

1292
00:56:44,665 --> 00:56:46,984
No, they just haven't 
repented and believed yet.

1293
00:56:46,984 --> 00:56:49,138
They heard you.

1294
00:56:49,138 --> 00:56:51,037
That seed's been sown.

1295
00:56:51,037 --> 00:56:52,526
It's laying on the conscience.

1296
00:56:52,526 --> 00:56:54,096
It can do its work when the head

1297
00:56:54,096 --> 00:56:56,232
goes on the pillow.

1298
00:56:56,232 --> 00:56:59,085
And God will redeem all of His own

1299
00:56:59,085 --> 00:57:01,665
who hear the Gospel.

1300
00:57:01,665 --> 00:57:03,195
You lay it on their conscience

1301
00:57:03,195 --> 00:57:06,571
in gentleness and love.

1302
00:57:06,571 --> 00:57:08,497
If they hate you or love you,

1303
00:57:08,497 --> 00:57:12,247
you simply make an open 
statement of the truth

1304
00:57:12,247 --> 00:57:14,521
and lay it on men's consciences

1305
00:57:14,521 --> 00:57:15,727
in the sight of God.

1306
00:57:15,727 --> 00:57:17,254
You don't need to be fancy.

1307
00:57:17,254 --> 00:57:19,840
You don't need to get a blimp
and get the gospel up in the air.

1308
00:57:19,840 --> 00:57:22,535
You don't need to do anything like that.

1309
00:57:22,535 --> 00:57:24,582
You just need to talk to people honestly

1310
00:57:24,582 --> 00:57:26,077
about sin and salvation,

1311
00:57:26,077 --> 00:57:28,783
laying it on their consciences

1312
00:57:28,783 --> 00:57:32,089
and God will do His work.

1313
00:57:32,089 --> 00:57:33,823
You know, oftentimes people think,

1314
00:57:33,823 --> 00:57:35,356
well, I can't share the gospel.

1315
00:57:35,356 --> 00:57:38,658
These people don't even believe in God.
They don't understand the Bible.

1316
00:57:38,658 --> 00:57:41,545
They don't really believe any of the 
same things I do about right and wrong.

1317
00:57:41,549 --> 00:57:43,137
We have missionaries now in our day

1318
00:57:43,137 --> 00:57:45,543
who don't think they can just go to 
other countries and share the gospel.

1319
00:57:45,543 --> 00:57:47,147
They have to do like six months

1320
00:57:47,147 --> 00:57:48,484
of ethnographic research

1321
00:57:48,484 --> 00:57:50,469
before they can even share the gospel.

1322
00:57:50,469 --> 00:57:52,532
Listen, there isn't a place on the planet

1323
00:57:52,532 --> 00:57:55,899
where people don't have consciences.

1324
00:57:55,899 --> 00:57:58,393
It's part of the image of God.

1325
00:57:58,393 --> 00:58:00,498
You have an ally in evangelism

1326
00:58:00,498 --> 00:58:04,885
everywhere you go.

1327
00:58:04,885 --> 00:58:06,698
And the minute the Spirit wants to

1328
00:58:06,698 --> 00:58:08,494
make that conscience alive and awake,

1329
00:58:08,494 --> 00:58:10,685
He will do it.

1330
00:58:10,685 --> 00:58:12,738
You just ask Him that you would speak

1331
00:58:12,738 --> 00:58:15,439
the open statement of the truth

1332
00:58:15,439 --> 00:58:19,286
and commend yourself to 
every man's conscience

1333
00:58:19,286 --> 00:58:20,306
in the sight of God.

1334
00:58:20,306 --> 00:58:25,719
What a liberating look at evangelism!

1335
00:58:25,719 --> 00:58:28,242
Lastly, and by lastly, 
I don't mean briefly.

1336
00:58:28,242 --> 00:58:31,595
So turn to Romans 14.

1337
00:58:31,595 --> 00:58:39,883
Romans 14.

1338
00:58:39,883 --> 00:58:42,863
This issue of the 
conscience is so critical

1339
00:58:42,863 --> 00:58:50,712
in our relationships in the local church.

1340
00:58:50,712 --> 00:58:54,130
All of the members of local churches

1341
00:58:54,130 --> 00:58:56,493
have consciences.

1342
00:58:56,493 --> 00:58:59,257
And when they're members 
of churches like ours,

1343
00:58:59,257 --> 00:59:01,123
they have enlightened consciences.

1344
00:59:01,123 --> 00:59:03,259
And when they're members 
of churches like ours,

1345
00:59:03,259 --> 00:59:05,507
they have convictional consciences

1346
00:59:05,507 --> 00:59:07,578
that believe things strongly.

1347
00:59:07,578 --> 00:59:10,093
And that's good.

1348
00:59:10,093 --> 00:59:12,383
But you've got to know how to handle it.

1349
00:59:12,383 --> 00:59:14,113
You've got to know how to handle it.

1350
00:59:14,113 --> 00:59:15,505
It's good to have 50 people

1351
00:59:15,505 --> 00:59:17,193
or 100 people or 1,000 people

1352
00:59:17,193 --> 00:59:19,924
who are fully convinced in their own mind

1353
00:59:19,924 --> 00:59:21,708
that they are doing the will of God

1354
00:59:21,708 --> 00:59:23,241
in every detail of their lives.

1355
00:59:23,241 --> 00:59:24,607
That's good.

1356
00:59:24,607 --> 00:59:26,570
I'm not saying anything to lessen that.

1357
00:59:26,570 --> 00:59:29,112
We need more of that, not less of it.

1358
00:59:29,112 --> 00:59:32,335
But you need to know how to handle it.

1359
00:59:32,335 --> 00:59:34,893
Or it will destroy the unity

1360
00:59:34,893 --> 00:59:36,488
and the love of the church,

1361
00:59:36,488 --> 00:59:38,135
and if you destroy the unity

1362
00:59:38,135 --> 00:59:39,438
and the love of the church,

1363
00:59:39,438 --> 00:59:44,380
you destroy the witness of the church.

1364
00:59:44,380 --> 00:59:48,380
Let me read to you Romans 14:1.

1365
00:59:48,380 --> 00:59:52,307
We'll bring out a few things, 
and then we'll be done.

1366
00:59:52,307 --> 00:59:54,845
"As for the one who is weak in faith..."

1367
00:59:54,845 --> 00:59:58,574
That's another way of saying 
has a weak conscience.

1368
00:59:58,574 --> 01:00:00,590
"As for the one who is weak in faith,

1369
01:00:00,590 --> 01:00:02,471
welcome him, but not to quarrel

1370
01:00:02,471 --> 01:00:11,295
over opinions."

1371
01:00:11,295 --> 01:00:14,338
My brother used to have a 
"Whole Foods" bumper sticker.

1372
01:00:14,338 --> 01:00:16,982
You know Whole Foods grocery stores?

1373
01:00:16,982 --> 01:00:18,649
Everything in there is awesome.

1374
01:00:18,649 --> 01:00:25,673
We call it "Whole Paycheck" at our church.

1375
01:00:25,673 --> 01:00:27,615
And that bumper sticker said,

1376
01:00:27,615 --> 01:00:31,072
"Friends don't let friends eat junk."

1377
01:00:31,072 --> 01:00:35,545
And I cleared it with him 
before I preached on this.

1378
01:00:35,545 --> 01:00:38,267
But I said according to Romans 14:1,

1379
01:00:38,267 --> 01:00:43,651
sometimes friends do let friends eat junk.

1380
01:00:43,651 --> 01:00:46,126
"As for the one who is weak in faith,

1381
01:00:46,126 --> 01:00:48,335
welcome him, but not to quarrel

1382
01:00:48,335 --> 01:00:51,834
over opinions."

1383
01:00:51,834 --> 01:00:55,489
Secondary, tertiary matters

1384
01:00:55,489 --> 01:00:59,664
that are so far from 
the center of the gospel.

1385
01:00:59,664 --> 01:01:01,962
Do you use nutberries in your bread?

1386
01:01:01,962 --> 01:01:07,732
I had a guy show up on 
my doorstep one time -

1387
01:01:07,732 --> 01:01:09,136
one of our members -

1388
01:01:09,136 --> 01:01:10,999
and he said to me,

1389
01:01:10,999 --> 01:01:13,294
"You know, Ryan, I've just 
been learning so much

1390
01:01:13,294 --> 01:01:15,219
about the biblical diet lately."

1391
01:01:15,219 --> 01:01:26,981
And I just said, "No, you haven't."

1392
01:01:26,981 --> 01:01:29,077
"As for the one who is weak in faith,

1393
01:01:29,077 --> 01:01:31,591
welcome him, but not 
to quarrel over opinions.

1394
01:01:31,591 --> 01:01:35,041
One person believes he can eat anything,

1395
01:01:35,041 --> 01:01:39,978
while the weak person 
eats only vegetables."

1396
01:01:39,978 --> 01:01:41,736
No, I don't mean to harp on this,

1397
01:01:41,736 --> 01:01:43,807
but do notice that the weak person

1398
01:01:43,807 --> 01:01:47,460
is the more restrictive person.

1399
01:01:47,460 --> 01:01:51,748
It's humbling.

1400
01:01:51,748 --> 01:01:53,201
"Let not the one who eats

1401
01:01:53,201 --> 01:01:56,040
despise the one who abstains.

1402
01:01:56,040 --> 01:01:57,604
And let not the one who abstains

1403
01:01:57,604 --> 01:02:00,562
pass judgment on the one who eats.

1404
01:02:00,562 --> 01:02:05,293
For God has welcomed him.

1405
01:02:05,293 --> 01:02:06,758
Who are you to pass judgment

1406
01:02:06,758 --> 01:02:08,042
on the servant of another?

1407
01:02:08,042 --> 01:02:09,468
It is before his own master

1408
01:02:09,468 --> 01:02:11,210
that he stands or falls.

1409
01:02:11,210 --> 01:02:16,286
And he will be upheld,

1410
01:02:16,286 --> 01:02:23,756
for the Lord is able to make him stand."

1411
01:02:23,756 --> 01:02:27,916
Even if he listens to Christian 
hip-hop, he can stand?

1412
01:02:27,916 --> 01:02:30,246
Yes, even him.

1413
01:02:30,246 --> 01:02:34,669
He can be made to stand.

1414
01:02:34,669 --> 01:02:37,033
What if he only listens to the Gaithers?

1415
01:02:37,033 --> 01:02:39,634
Yes, he can stand too.

1416
01:02:39,634 --> 01:02:44,426
God can keep him standing.

1417
01:02:44,426 --> 01:02:47,759
I know it's hard to believe.

1418
01:02:47,759 --> 01:02:50,057
You get these differences 
in the church, right?

1419
01:02:50,057 --> 01:02:53,062
One guy's like, "I would 
never get a tattoo."

1420
01:02:53,062 --> 01:02:59,813
Another guy's like, 
"Revelation 7's right here."

1421
01:02:59,813 --> 01:03:02,821
You're like, how is this 
guy going to stand?

1422
01:03:02,821 --> 01:03:06,042
His Master is going to make him stand.

1423
01:03:06,042 --> 01:03:08,204
That's how it's going to happen.

1424
01:03:08,204 --> 01:03:11,419
His Master has a personal interest in him.

1425
01:03:11,419 --> 01:03:16,824
And He's going to make him stand.

1426
01:03:16,824 --> 01:03:18,790
"He will be upheld, for the Lord is able

1427
01:03:18,790 --> 01:03:19,792
to make him stand.

1428
01:03:19,792 --> 01:03:22,345
One person esteems on day 
as better than another,

1429
01:03:22,345 --> 01:03:26,436
while another esteems all days alike.

1430
01:03:26,436 --> 01:03:29,820
Each one should be fully 
convinced in his own mind."

1431
01:03:29,820 --> 01:03:34,781
We're not diminishing 
convictional Christianity.

1432
01:03:34,781 --> 01:03:37,482
We're learning how to deal with it.

1433
01:03:37,482 --> 01:03:40,141
If you will never get a tattoo,

1434
01:03:40,141 --> 01:03:42,511
you should be fully 
convinced in your own mind.

1435
01:03:42,511 --> 01:03:44,151
If you're going to get a tattoo,

1436
01:03:44,151 --> 01:03:47,113
you better not get one because 
everyone else got one.

1437
01:03:47,113 --> 01:03:50,083
You should be fully 
convinced in your own mind

1438
01:03:50,083 --> 01:03:58,809
or you ought not to touch that thing.

1439
01:03:58,809 --> 01:04:00,381
"The one who observes the day,

1440
01:04:00,381 --> 01:04:01,795
observes it in honor of the Lord.

1441
01:04:01,795 --> 01:04:03,440
The ones who eats, 
eats in honor of the Lord

1442
01:04:03,440 --> 01:04:04,960
since he gives thanks to God,

1443
01:04:04,960 --> 01:04:07,566
while the one who abstains,
abstains in honor of the Lord

1444
01:04:07,566 --> 01:04:09,760
and gives thanks to God.

1445
01:04:09,760 --> 01:04:11,364
For none of us lives to himself,

1446
01:04:11,364 --> 01:04:13,422
and none of us dies to himself.

1447
01:04:13,422 --> 01:04:15,203
For if we live, we live to the Lord,

1448
01:04:15,203 --> 01:04:16,925
and if we die, we die to the Lord.

1449
01:04:16,925 --> 01:04:18,770
So whether or whether we die,

1450
01:04:18,770 --> 01:04:21,332
we are the Lord's.

1451
01:04:21,332 --> 01:04:23,524
For to this end, Christ 
died and lived again,

1452
01:04:23,524 --> 01:04:28,135
that He might be Lord both of the dead

1453
01:04:28,135 --> 01:04:31,198
and the living."

1454
01:04:31,198 --> 01:04:37,934
Three principles and I think we're done.

1455
01:04:37,934 --> 01:04:40,345
Your primary responsibility

1456
01:04:40,345 --> 01:04:44,514
towards people who differ with you

1457
01:04:44,514 --> 01:04:46,934
on secondary matters

1458
01:04:46,934 --> 01:04:48,420
is to have them over for dinner

1459
01:04:48,420 --> 01:04:55,524
and make it a welcoming, warm experience.

1460
01:04:55,524 --> 01:04:57,559
"As for the one who is weak in faith,

1461
01:04:57,559 --> 01:05:00,565
welcome him, but not to quarrel

1462
01:05:00,565 --> 01:05:02,393
over opinions."

1463
01:05:02,393 --> 01:05:04,750
If all the people who 
ever get into your house

1464
01:05:04,750 --> 01:05:06,263
homeschool just like you homeschool,

1465
01:05:06,263 --> 01:05:10,287
you're doing something wrong.

1466
01:05:10,287 --> 01:05:11,808
If you only let your kids play with

1467
01:05:11,808 --> 01:05:13,131
the other public school kids,

1468
01:05:13,131 --> 01:05:15,462
you're doing something wrong.

1469
01:05:15,462 --> 01:05:17,695
If two Christians can't differ 
on schooling methods,

1470
01:05:17,695 --> 01:05:21,720
we've got a problem.

1471
01:05:21,720 --> 01:05:25,261
If you only invite people 
who eat your special diet,

1472
01:05:25,261 --> 01:05:28,186
you've got a problem.

1473
01:05:28,186 --> 01:05:30,589
And maybe you ought to be willing,

1474
01:05:30,589 --> 01:05:33,067
if it's not a convictional issue,

1475
01:05:33,067 --> 01:05:34,896
to not eat your diet,

1476
01:05:34,896 --> 01:05:36,564
to be able to get over and show

1477
01:05:36,564 --> 01:05:41,270
hospitality in someone's home.

1478
01:05:41,270 --> 01:05:42,664
And when you get together,

1479
01:05:42,664 --> 01:05:44,642
the point isn't:

1480
01:05:44,642 --> 01:05:50,610
here's the roast beef.

1481
01:05:50,610 --> 01:05:53,765
There are some issues I've been 
wanting to talk to you about

1482
01:05:53,765 --> 01:05:59,542
in the Lord, brother.

1483
01:05:59,542 --> 01:06:02,368
Just let it go.

1484
01:06:02,368 --> 01:06:04,912
Just let it go.

1485
01:06:04,912 --> 01:06:06,804
Now, that doesn't mean there can't be

1486
01:06:06,804 --> 01:06:08,661
those conversations among the body,

1487
01:06:08,661 --> 01:06:10,360
but let there first be

1488
01:06:10,360 --> 01:06:13,453
a warm environment of hospitality and love

1489
01:06:13,453 --> 01:06:17,247
where it's abundantly 
clear that I view you

1490
01:06:17,247 --> 01:06:20,152
as a fellow servant of Christ.

1491
01:06:20,152 --> 01:06:21,871
Now, I'm going to talk to people

1492
01:06:21,871 --> 01:06:23,603
who watch movies I wouldn't watch,

1493
01:06:23,603 --> 01:06:25,062
and I'm going to have 
a conversation with them.

1494
01:06:25,062 --> 01:06:27,197
Sure I am.

1495
01:06:27,197 --> 01:06:28,691
If I'm worried about something,

1496
01:06:28,691 --> 01:06:30,338
I'm going to talk to someone about it.

1497
01:06:30,338 --> 01:06:33,659
But first, first is not

1498
01:06:33,659 --> 01:06:36,763
the quarreling over opinions.

1499
01:06:36,763 --> 01:06:38,870
First is the warm relationship

1500
01:06:38,870 --> 01:06:42,056
of welcome and love.

1501
01:06:42,056 --> 01:06:44,008
Second, you need to realize

1502
01:06:44,008 --> 01:06:45,682
that the weak and the strong

1503
01:06:45,682 --> 01:06:49,116
both have unique temptations.

1504
01:06:49,116 --> 01:06:51,690
The weak and the strong both

1505
01:06:51,690 --> 01:06:54,097
have their unique set of temptations.

1506
01:06:54,097 --> 01:06:55,273
You notice that?

1507
01:06:55,273 --> 01:06:57,493
"One person believes he may eat anything,

1508
01:06:57,493 --> 01:06:59,708
while the weak person 
eats only vegetables.

1509
01:06:59,708 --> 01:07:01,978
Let not the one who eats despise

1510
01:07:01,978 --> 01:07:03,270
the one who abstains.

1511
01:07:03,270 --> 01:07:04,708
Let not the one who abstains

1512
01:07:04,708 --> 01:07:06,541
pass judgment on the one who eats."

1513
01:07:06,541 --> 01:07:09,890
Despising and judgment.

1514
01:07:09,890 --> 01:07:14,780
Okay, strong people are 
tempted to despise.

1515
01:07:14,780 --> 01:07:17,135
Weak people are tempted to judge.

1516
01:07:17,135 --> 01:07:18,645
And this was so clear years ago

1517
01:07:18,645 --> 01:07:20,532
when everything on the blogs was about

1518
01:07:20,532 --> 01:07:24,200
who could drink beer and who couldn't.

1519
01:07:24,200 --> 01:07:26,737
The people who could drink beer

1520
01:07:26,737 --> 01:07:29,230
despised - "how do you even live

1521
01:07:29,230 --> 01:07:31,518
without tasting a craft beer?"

1522
01:07:31,518 --> 01:07:33,637
"How do you even be a Christian?"

1523
01:07:33,637 --> 01:07:35,548
"How do you enjoy life to the full,

1524
01:07:35,548 --> 01:07:40,949
you fundamentalist fools?"

1525
01:07:40,949 --> 01:07:42,519
And then on the other side,

1526
01:07:42,519 --> 01:07:44,840
nothing but judgment.

1527
01:07:44,840 --> 01:07:46,182
Worldly.

1528
01:07:46,182 --> 01:07:47,581
Backslidden.

1529
01:07:47,581 --> 01:07:50,486
Heathen.

1530
01:07:50,486 --> 01:07:54,876
Both are displeasing sins to Jesus.

1531
01:07:54,876 --> 01:07:56,703
Both of them.

1532
01:07:56,703 --> 01:08:00,051
They are both wrong.

1533
01:08:00,051 --> 01:08:03,170
It's wrong to judge someone

1534
01:08:03,170 --> 01:08:04,752
in a way that condemns them,

1535
01:08:04,752 --> 01:08:08,340
when they're different than you 
on a secondary matter.

1536
01:08:08,340 --> 01:08:10,370
And it's wrong to despise someone

1537
01:08:10,370 --> 01:08:12,902
who doesn't have the same freedom as you.

1538
01:08:12,902 --> 01:08:15,422
It's wrong because the 
goal of our instruction

1539
01:08:15,422 --> 01:08:17,153
is love.

1540
01:08:17,153 --> 01:08:18,603
Love. It's always love.

1541
01:08:18,603 --> 01:08:25,248
We're always after love.

1542
01:08:25,248 --> 01:08:28,053
But Ryan, how do I love

1543
01:08:28,053 --> 01:08:32,057
when I feel the person's compromising?

1544
01:08:32,057 --> 01:08:34,977
I mean, I'm really, I'm 
trying to be faithful,

1545
01:08:34,977 --> 01:08:37,292
and I really believe that I should only

1546
01:08:37,292 --> 01:08:38,736
listen to Christian music.

1547
01:08:38,736 --> 01:08:40,619
I believe it.

1548
01:08:40,619 --> 01:08:43,032
I'm not trying to be a legalist.

1549
01:08:43,032 --> 01:08:44,085
I love Jesus.

1550
01:08:44,085 --> 01:08:46,450
And that's just where I'm at.

1551
01:08:46,450 --> 01:08:48,515
And that's where a lot of you are at,

1552
01:08:48,515 --> 01:08:49,806
and praise God for you,

1553
01:08:49,806 --> 01:08:52,446
for just trying to live before 
the Lord in everything.

1554
01:08:52,446 --> 01:08:53,776
And others of you are like,

1555
01:08:53,776 --> 01:08:56,299
Ryan, I really believe I have the liberty

1556
01:08:56,299 --> 01:08:59,258
to do this, and I'm not trying to sin.

1557
01:08:59,258 --> 01:09:01,959
I'm not trying to get away with anything.

1558
01:09:01,959 --> 01:09:05,576
I want to be holy in everything I do.

1559
01:09:05,576 --> 01:09:08,617
Praise God for you.

1560
01:09:08,617 --> 01:09:10,018
How do those people get along

1561
01:09:10,018 --> 01:09:12,365
without feeling like they're compromising?

1562
01:09:12,365 --> 01:09:14,612
Because that's what 
you're afraid of right?

1563
01:09:14,612 --> 01:09:16,731
You're afraid if you 
welcome this person in,

1564
01:09:16,731 --> 01:09:21,578
you're going to compromise 
your walk with Jesus.

1565
01:09:21,578 --> 01:09:24,179
How do you do it?

1566
01:09:24,179 --> 01:09:27,335
You learn to recognize something deeper

1567
01:09:27,335 --> 01:09:31,492
than the superficial stuff.

1568
01:09:31,492 --> 01:09:33,953
You learn to recognize a heart

1569
01:09:33,953 --> 01:09:36,434
that wants to honor the Lord,

1570
01:09:36,434 --> 01:09:38,448
even though they're not honoring the Lord

1571
01:09:38,448 --> 01:09:40,782
exactly the way you would.

1572
01:09:40,782 --> 01:09:43,297
You see that in the text?

1573
01:09:43,297 --> 01:09:44,827
It says there,

1574
01:09:44,827 --> 01:09:47,774
"Who are you to pass judgment
on the servant of another?"

1575
01:09:47,782 --> 01:09:49,702
We're in v. 4.

1576
01:09:49,702 --> 01:09:52,262
"It is because of his own master
that he stands or falls,

1577
01:09:52,262 --> 01:09:54,993
and he will be upheld, for the 
Lord is able to make him stand.

1578
01:09:54,993 --> 01:09:57,455
One person esteems one 
day as better than another,

1579
01:09:57,455 --> 01:09:59,992
while another esteems all days alike.

1580
01:09:59,992 --> 01:10:02,795
Each one should be fully 
convinced in his own mind.

1581
01:10:02,795 --> 01:10:04,801
The one who observes the day (listen here)

1582
01:10:04,801 --> 01:10:07,404
observes it in honor of the Lord.

1583
01:10:07,404 --> 01:10:09,804
The one who eats, 
eats in honor of the Lord

1584
01:10:09,804 --> 01:10:11,384
since he gives thanks to God,

1585
01:10:11,384 --> 01:10:12,780
while the one who abstains,

1586
01:10:12,780 --> 01:10:14,298
abstains in honor of the Lord,

1587
01:10:14,298 --> 01:10:15,629
and gives thanks to God."

1588
01:10:15,629 --> 01:10:16,822
When we put all the focus

1589
01:10:16,822 --> 01:10:18,230
on these secondary matters,

1590
01:10:18,230 --> 01:10:20,008
all we notice is:

1591
01:10:20,008 --> 01:10:24,265
you watch movies I wouldn't watch.

1592
01:10:24,265 --> 01:10:29,454
And we miss a heart to honor the Lord.

1593
01:10:29,454 --> 01:10:31,325
Come on, are there too many hearts

1594
01:10:31,325 --> 01:10:33,258
in the world that want to honor the Lord

1595
01:10:33,258 --> 01:10:38,336
that you want to miss even one of them?

1596
01:10:38,336 --> 01:10:41,533
What we want to learn is how to detect

1597
01:10:41,533 --> 01:10:43,855
a heart that wants to honor the Lord

1598
01:10:43,855 --> 01:10:45,577
and is thanking the Lord.

1599
01:10:45,577 --> 01:10:47,852
Now, you may not be able 
to do what they do.

1600
01:10:47,852 --> 01:10:49,150
And don't do what they do,

1601
01:10:49,150 --> 01:10:52,323
if you're not convinced in your own mind.

1602
01:10:52,323 --> 01:10:56,616
But notice a heart that wants to honor

1603
01:10:56,616 --> 01:10:58,732
the Lord, and when you notice that,

1604
01:10:58,732 --> 01:11:02,249
you have the most 
important bond in the world.

1605
01:11:02,249 --> 01:11:04,113
And God's going to uphold people

1606
01:11:04,113 --> 01:11:06,480
who try to honor Him.

1607
01:11:06,480 --> 01:11:11,760
Even if they don't get it 
exactly right in every detail.

1608
01:11:11,760 --> 01:11:16,783
Let me give you an example of this.

1609
01:11:16,783 --> 01:11:17,881
In the church I pastor,

1610
01:11:17,881 --> 01:11:22,656
if I knew a guy was 
looking at pornography,

1611
01:11:22,656 --> 01:11:25,858
was messing around sexually,

1612
01:11:25,858 --> 01:11:28,127
and was watching movies -

1613
01:11:28,127 --> 01:11:32,071
they weren't pornographic, 
but they were just risque,

1614
01:11:32,071 --> 01:11:33,594
I would get right into his face

1615
01:11:33,594 --> 01:11:36,507
and say you are so compromised.

1616
01:11:36,507 --> 01:11:39,727
You are just flirting with 
all kinds of temptation

1617
01:11:39,727 --> 01:11:41,649
and you need to get out of that.

1618
01:11:41,649 --> 01:11:43,229
You need to cut off your hand

1619
01:11:43,229 --> 01:11:44,446
and gouge out your eye.

1620
01:11:44,446 --> 01:11:45,394
End of story.

1621
01:11:45,394 --> 01:11:47,256
That's absolutely what you need to do.

1622
01:11:47,256 --> 01:11:48,346
In the words of Titus,

1623
01:11:48,346 --> 01:11:49,948
I insist on these things.

1624
01:11:49,948 --> 01:11:53,877
I will not let you ignore me.

1625
01:11:53,877 --> 01:11:55,998
And then I've got another 
guy in the church

1626
01:11:55,998 --> 01:11:57,665
who teaches the Bible,

1627
01:11:57,665 --> 01:11:59,707
loves the Bible, visits widows,

1628
01:11:59,707 --> 01:12:01,062
cares for his wife,

1629
01:12:01,062 --> 01:12:02,826
seeks to honor the Lord,

1630
01:12:02,826 --> 01:12:04,632
and there's a few movies he watches

1631
01:12:04,632 --> 01:12:07,729
that I wouldn't watch.

1632
01:12:07,729 --> 01:12:09,829
I'll be honest. I don't like that.

1633
01:12:09,829 --> 01:12:10,751
I don't like it.

1634
01:12:10,751 --> 01:12:12,946
I want everyone to draw their movie lines

1635
01:12:12,946 --> 01:12:14,341
right where I draw them.

1636
01:12:14,341 --> 01:12:15,644
I do.

1637
01:12:15,644 --> 01:12:21,567
I'm fully convinced in my own mind.

1638
01:12:21,567 --> 01:12:23,319
And I'm going to have a warm lunch

1639
01:12:23,319 --> 01:12:24,450
with that guy.

1640
01:12:24,450 --> 01:12:26,504
I'm going to commend 
all the godliness within him,

1641
01:12:26,504 --> 01:12:28,714
and then, we may get 
around to talking about,

1642
01:12:28,714 --> 01:12:30,362
hey, what are these different convictions?

1643
01:12:30,362 --> 01:12:32,920
Because this is looking like 
it would be bad for me.

1644
01:12:32,920 --> 01:12:34,368
For me, that would be sin.

1645
01:12:34,368 --> 01:12:37,713
How do you do that?

1646
01:12:37,713 --> 01:12:39,511
But the way you're handling that

1647
01:12:39,511 --> 01:12:41,637
is so different,

1648
01:12:41,637 --> 01:12:43,948
than just going on a 
tirade against everyone

1649
01:12:43,948 --> 01:12:50,999
who is not holding the 
exact same convictions as you.

1650
01:12:50,999 --> 01:12:53,088
So beloved,

1651
01:12:53,088 --> 01:12:56,178
I leave you with this.

1652
01:12:56,178 --> 01:12:59,293
The goal of every sermon you ever hear

1653
01:12:59,293 --> 01:13:02,296
is love.

1654
01:13:02,296 --> 01:13:04,337
Caring for people.

1655
01:13:04,337 --> 01:13:07,327
Having a warm regard for them.

1656
01:13:07,327 --> 01:13:11,271
And it needs to come 
from a good conscience.

1657
01:13:11,271 --> 01:13:12,899
You get one of those by plunging

1658
01:13:12,899 --> 01:13:14,156
your dead, evil conscience

1659
01:13:14,156 --> 01:13:16,856
under the blood of Jesus

1660
01:13:16,856 --> 01:13:20,511
that purifies you from 
all unrighteousness.

1661
01:13:20,511 --> 01:13:23,994
And then you begin to walk in His path.

1662
01:13:23,994 --> 01:13:25,794
And as you walk in His path,

1663
01:13:25,794 --> 01:13:28,040
you will face many people who aren't quite

1664
01:13:28,040 --> 01:13:31,732
figuring out His path 
exactly the way you are.

1665
01:13:31,732 --> 01:13:33,534
And our job there is to discern

1666
01:13:33,534 --> 01:13:35,760
an honor for the Lord,

1667
01:13:35,760 --> 01:13:38,414
and a thankfulness for the Lord.

1668
01:13:38,414 --> 01:13:41,820
And to just shower those people with love.

1669
01:13:41,820 --> 01:13:44,910
When that kind of 
love relationship exists,

1670
01:13:44,910 --> 01:13:47,148
you will have the best kind of context

1671
01:13:47,148 --> 01:13:49,116
to actually have the good discussions

1672
01:13:49,116 --> 01:13:52,166
to refine our consciences with

1673
01:13:52,166 --> 01:13:55,503
and to think about 
following Him more closely

1674
01:13:55,503 --> 01:13:59,519
and walking in love before Him together.

1675
01:13:59,519 --> 01:14:01,886
Oh, may God make us as free

1676
01:14:01,886 --> 01:14:04,838
as the gospel wants us to be,

1677
01:14:04,838 --> 01:14:07,068
and just enjoy Jesus as much as the gospel

1678
01:14:07,068 --> 01:14:09,398
wants us to enjoy Jesus.

1679
01:14:09,398 --> 01:14:12,105
Father, thank You so much

1680
01:14:12,105 --> 01:14:15,498
for Your grace.

1681
01:14:15,498 --> 01:14:17,303
Lord, I have probably revealed

1682
01:14:17,303 --> 01:14:19,157
some convictions of my own

1683
01:14:19,157 --> 01:14:20,518
in the course of this sermon

1684
01:14:20,518 --> 01:14:24,188
that would tempt some to despise me.

1685
01:14:24,188 --> 01:14:28,126
I pray that You would just 
keep us from despising.

1686
01:14:28,126 --> 01:14:30,074
I'm probably sure I'll meet some folks

1687
01:14:30,074 --> 01:14:33,019
who hold convictions that I think 
are weaker than my own.

1688
01:14:33,019 --> 01:14:34,748
I pray that I would not judge them

1689
01:14:34,748 --> 01:14:37,965
or despise them.

1690
01:14:37,965 --> 01:14:40,543
Lord, fill us with love.

1691
01:14:40,543 --> 01:14:42,251
Lord, we pray that this teaching

1692
01:14:42,251 --> 01:14:44,176
would not be used to justify anything

1693
01:14:44,176 --> 01:14:47,722
that is clearly wicked or sinful.

1694
01:14:47,722 --> 01:14:49,573
Lord, Christian liberty is meant

1695
01:14:49,573 --> 01:14:52,215
to help us walk in love and holiness;

1696
01:14:52,215 --> 01:14:55,434
not sin and degradation.

1697
01:14:55,434 --> 01:14:57,482
Lord, we pray that You'd use this teaching

1698
01:14:57,482 --> 01:15:00,491
to free us from all the 
extra-biblical expectations

1699
01:15:00,491 --> 01:15:01,834
we heap on ourselves

1700
01:15:01,834 --> 01:15:05,196
that destroy our joy.

1701
01:15:05,196 --> 01:15:08,169
Lord, we pray this in Jesus' mighty name.

1702
01:15:08,169 --> 01:15:08,873
Amen.