The Burden of a Guilty Conscience

1
The Burden of a Guilty Conscience

• When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my
  groaning all the day long. For day and night Your
  hand was heavy upon me my vitality was turned
  into the drought of summer. (Psalm 323,4)

2
The Burden of a Guilty Conscience

• A persons conscience is his judge (guide).
• David knew he was wrong.
• For you did it secretly, but I will do this
  thing before all Israel, before the sun. So David
  said to Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD.
  And Nathan said to David, The LORD also has put
  away your sin you shall not die. (2 Samuel
  1112,13)

3
The Burden of a Guilty Conscience

• One can be convicted by his conscience.
• It must be tender!
• Then those who heard it, being convicted by
  their conscience, went out one by one, beginning
  with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was
  left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
  (John 89)

4
The Burden of a Guilty Conscience

• One can be convicted by his conscience.
• He must not violate it!
• But he who doubts is condemned if he eats,
  because he does not eat from faith for whatever
  is not from faith is sin. (Romans 1423)

5
The Burden of a Guilty Conscience

• A persons conscience is NOT his Savior.
• It can be misguided.
• Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council,
  said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good
  conscience before God until this day. (Acts
  231)

6
The Burden of a Guilty Conscience

• A persons conscience is NOT his Savior.
• It can be misguided.
• This being so, I myself always strive to have a
  conscience without offense toward God and men.
  (Acts 2416)

7
The Burden of a Guilty Conscience

• Consciences can be misguided.
• Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things
  contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I
  also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I
  shut up in prison, having received authority from
  the chief priests and when they were put to
  death, I cast my vote against them. And I
  punished them often in every synagogue and
  compelled them to blaspheme and being
  exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted
  them even to foreign cities. (Acts 269-11)

8
The Burden of a Guilty Conscience

• Paul considered himself to be the chief of all
  sinners.
• This is a faithful saying and worthy of all
  acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world
  to save sinners, of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy
  115)

9
Truth Brings Conscience to a Crossroad

• One can go from being honestly mistaken to having
  a SEARED conscience.
• Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter
  times some will depart from the faith, giving
  heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of
  demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their
  own conscience seared with a hot iron. (1
  Timothy 41,2)

10
Truth Brings Conscience to a Crossroad

• One can go from being honestly mistaken to having
  a SEARED conscience.
• To the pure all things are pure, but to those
  who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure
  but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
  (Titus 115)

11
Truth Brings Conscience to a Crossroad

• Conscience can be purged of the burden of sin.
• Let us draw near with a true heart in full
  assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled
  from an evil conscience and our bodies washed
  with pure water.(Hebrews 1022)

12
Truth Brings Conscience to a Crossroad

• Conscience can be purged of the burden of sin.
• How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
  through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
  without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from
  dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews
  914)

13
Truth Brings Conscience to a Crossroad

• Conscience can be purged of the burden of sin.
• There is also an antitype which now saves
  us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the
  flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward
  God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  (1 Peter 321)

14
Confession and Repentance Lift the Burden

• Obedience to Gods plan can erase a guilty
  conscience.
• I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I
  have not hidden. I said, I will confess my
  transgressions to the LORD, and You forgave the
  iniquity of my sin. (Psalm 325)

15
Confession and Repentance Lift the Burden

• Obedience to Gods plan can erase the guilty
  conscience.
• If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
  ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
  confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
  forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
  unrighteousness. (1 John 18,9)

16
Confession and Repentance Lift the Burden

• Obedience to Gods plan can erase the guilty
  conscience.
• Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked,
  but now commands all men everywhere to repent.
  (Acts 1730)

17
Confession and Repentance Lift the Burden

• Obedience to Gods plan can erase the guilty
  conscience.
• And now why are you waiting? Arise and be
  baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the
  name of the Lord. (Acts 2216)

18
The Burden of a Guilty Conscience

• Why should you continue to carry around a guilty
  conscience?
• If you will allow Him to, God will help lift that
  burden.