The Story

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The Story
A Journey through the Bible, Cover-to-Cover
Ezra 9-10
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• The Joy of a Clear Conscience

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The Joy of a Clear Conscience

• What is conscience?
• How do I get a clear one?
• How can I keep it?

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What is Conscience?

• Greek, synedesis to know with
• The conscience of St. Paul is a natural
  faculty which belongs to all men (Rom. 215) and
  pronounces upon the character of actions, both
  their own and those of others (II Cor. 42
  511). It can be over-scrupulous (I Cor. 1025)
  but is blunted or seared by neglect of its
  warnings (1 Tim. 42).
• SandayHeadlam, Romans, p. 61

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Conscience

• Conscience is your God-given sundial which is
  made for the sun, even as the conscience, rightly
  directed, reflects Gods will. A sundial in
  moonlight may read 10 Oclock when it is really 2
  Oclock. By a candle, it could read anything, at
  the whim of the one holding the candle. The
  conscience works properly only when illuminated
  by God and His will. Donald Grey Barnhouse

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Its about training
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How to Get a Clear Conscience

• Acts 237-47
• Guilt
• Acknowledgement of guilt (confession)
• Repentance (change)
• Illustrated in Ezra 9-10

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How to Get a Clear ConscienceEzra 9-10

• The conscience of the remnant
• The guilt of sin 915 101
• From guilt to grace
• Path Repentance Sacrifice
• Ezra 103, 9-17
• Why?
• For the joy a clear conscience, the joy of doing
  the right thing.

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How to Keep a Clear Conscience

• Dont be naïve about the world.
• The devil wants to shape/reshape your thinking.
  Rom. 121-2 II Cor. 1113-15
• Cultural entropy. II Tim. 312-14 Phil. 48
• Be careful who you hang with.
• Ezra 41-3 Neh. 6 dont go down!!
• Choose your heroes carefully. Psa. 5521 cf.
  Isa. 532b I Cor. 21
• Choose your friends wisely I Cor. 1532-33

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Have you asked God for a good conscience yet?
Baptism, which corresponds to this,now saves
you, not as a removal of dirt from the body butas
an appeal to God for a good conscience, through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ