3/20/16 In Christ - No Condemnation and a Clear Conscience

Transcription

1 3/20/16 In Christ - No Condemnation and a Clear Conscience Intro: Review of last few weeks.dead to Sin, Righteous and not condemned not guilty and no punishment of guilt Continuing our series on attributes or truths of being in Christ Today we ll look at the fact that even the sense of guilt is removed our conscience is clear * Does that seem farfetched or wrong even? Can God or would God remove our sense of guilt? - * Put another way is a clear conscience a gift or does it have to be earned? * How important is a clear conscience? - Our conscience has been satisfied in Christ we no longer have to try to cover up a guilty conscience we are free

2 In Christ A Clear Conscience - Let me repeat something from last week When it comes to earning no condemnation and a clear conscience What if condemnation and a guilty conscience were a major problem for fallen man? Wouldn t the Gospel (gifts given) address the problems head-on? Or, are you telling me that the law (earned wages) is better equipped to handle these? - Most of what we (mankind) do is to relieve and cover up our guilty conscience What if these gifts were not only cosmic (which they are Eph 1:3), but practical and fit with how we were designed

3 Heb 9:1-14, (9 Now the first covenant, in fact, had regulations for worship and its earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tent was prepared, the outer one, which contained the lampstand, the table, and the presentation of the loaves; this is called the holy place. 3 And after the second curtain there was a tent called the holy of holies. 4 It contained the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered entirely with gold. In this ark were the golden urn containing the manna, Aaron s rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 And above the ark were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Now is not the time to speak of these things in detail. 6 So with these things prepared like this, the priests enter continually into the outer tent as they perform their duties. 7 But only the high priest enters once a year into the inner tent, and not without blood that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.) 8 The Holy Spirit is making clear that the way into the holy place had not yet appeared as long as the old tabernacle was standing. 9 This was a symbol for the time then present, when gifts and sacrifices were offered that could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They served only for matters of food and drink and various washings; they are external regulations imposed until the new order came. Christ s Service in the Heavenly Sanctuary 11 But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, 12 and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

4 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands the representation of the true sanctuary but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God s presence for us. 25 And he did not enter to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice. (Step through each verse the tabernacle as a shadow of the real thing the real Holy of Holies entered by Christ by His own blood) - The sacrifices that were meant to clear the conscience were only temporary...until Christ came and purified the consciences of believers permanently...forever... Heb 10 continues where 9 left off... Heb 10: For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. 2 For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin? 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year.

5 Note: The context started in chapter 9 and continues here is about the conscience it seems that a clear conscience is not a side benefit or add-on of the New Covenant, but a main point of the New Covenant! Vs 1 by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. - Part of the perfecting work of Christ is to clear the conscience - Not only did the sacrifices not clear the conscience, but they actually made it worse by being a constant reminder of sins...kept sin at the center of their minds Satan's tactic is to do the same today...christians think the point of Christianity is not sinning...it is a trap! - Satan pours on the accusations, condemnation, guilt, and shame to keep us focused on our sins and selves instead, we are to be focused on Christ! * Look at verse 2 How can we know that we have been perfected in Christ and our conscience cleared? - Since the sacrifices have stopped! - If we trust only in the one and done sacrifice of Christ

6 Note the back and forth in chapt 9 and 10 - There is an unperfected conscience Heb 9:9 the blood of goats and rams could not perfect or purify the conscience o In fact, just the opposite the continual sacrifices were a reminder of sin 10:3 o So an imperfect, unperfected conscience causes us to focus on sin the old system reminded us of our sin Note that the writer of Hebrews indicates that this is a bad thing Doesn t that seem contrary to a lot of teaching that we hear today many teach that we need to be keenly aware of our sin as the method to defeat sin in our lives As we have studied before in here the opposite is true (See 2 Cor 3:18 and 2 Pet 1:5-9) - Conversely the blood of Christ has perfected our conscience once and for all o Our conscience has been purified of dead works * What does that mean? What are dead works? Dead works are anything that we do or don t do to try to make ourselves more acceptable to God. Old Covenant thinking and living New Covenant thinking and living is that my conscience is satisfied only in Christ work alone o Re-read 10:1-3 * What is the result of a purified and perfected conscience? No more consciousness of sin!

7 o That s what the writer is indicating by saying the opposite about the Old Covenant in verse By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands day after day serving and offering the same sacrifices again and again sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 where he is now waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy. - We were made holy and perfected for all time!!!!! -- Note too the tense of those verbs...past tense -- Also, who is the object and subject of those 2 verbs... - Subject: God is doing the work...perfecting and making holy - Object: We are just receiving the gifts... - Re-read verse 14!

8 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. '* In that section, what is the one and only instruction for us? - "Let us draw near" -- with a sincere heart and a clear conscience because of what our great high priest has accomplished on our behalf!!!!! What if it doesn t feel clear I just feel guilty 1 John 3: Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth. 19 And by this we will know that we are of the truth and will convince our conscience in his presence, 20 that if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience and knows all things. 21 Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God,

9 - God is greater than a guilty conscience come before Him in the confidence that God is your righteousness not yourself - And of course if your conscience does not condemn you then come before Him as well with that same confidence So what does all this mean? Do we ignore our conscience? - No we follow our conscience o Rom 14:23 actions not done in faith or doubting is sin o Paul mentions many times about acting so has to have a clear conscience But - The conscience requires justice that is the way it is designed o Justice: Condemnation follows guilt - So, your conscience s requirement for justice has been satisfied in the sacrifice of Christ - Our guilt and condemnation has been removed therefore so has our sense of guilt and condemnation - Our conscience has been cleared by Christ - 1 Pet 3:21 says that we have a good conscience because of the resurrection of Christ So What? - FREEDOM - Don t let your conscience keep you from entering God s presence - Don t let you conscience turn your eyes inward focus on Christ and His once-and-for-all finished work on the cross!

10 - If you conscience is screaming for justice then point it to the cross!