Being Responsive and Obedient to Your Conscience - Geoff Thomas

Thirdly, if we are praying this prayer

that we might grow in graciousness;

in grace, we are praying

that we might progress
in conscientiousness.

That is, in responsiveness

and obedience to our own consciences.

Because God has placed that monitor

in our minds,

and it reproves us when we do wrong,

and it encourages us when we do right.

Well, how is it with your
conscience and you tonight?

How are things between you

and that monitor; that voice of God?

You know there are many consciences,

and in Thomas Boston's words,

they're too persnickety.

They condemn what
God's Word doesn't condemn.

We must educate that conscience.

Does the Bible condemn blood transfusions?

For example.

And there are other consciences

and they let anything pass.

They let pass what God's Word condemns.

They are less sensitive
than they should be.

They are much too broad; much too open.

So, we must always bring our conscience

under the light of the Word of God.

You know the Puritan illustration then

of the sundial?

And the sundial will work

if it's at the right angle,

and in regards to the light of the sun.

But on a bright moonlight night,

you can go out to your garden

and you can look at a sundial,

and there will be a shadow -

a moon shadow.

And it will give you the
totally wrong reading.

Because it's not a moondial,

it's a sundial.

And so there is the conscience

of the cannibal.

And there is the conscience
of the abortionist.

And they are not living in accord

with what the Word of God

who created the conscience gives to us.

Now, let's suppose that you have

an enlightened conscience.

Let's suppose that you have

the full light of God's Word

on your conscience then.

Are you carefully obeying it

when you are emotionally disinclined?

When you're lying on the floor

in despondency and sulking

and unhappy because your worst fears

are being realized?

When you're in the depth of depression

and self-pity,

and there's a duty that
you have to attend to?

It's a duty. It's very unpleasant.

It's very demanding.

Do you do what your conscience tells you

that you should do?

Do you have the maturity
to stand on your emotions

and reject them

in the face of their reluctance

and aversion to attend to

what God commands us?

There's no greater peril
in the Christian life

than to make our emotions

the touchstone of our duties.

And time and again, we have to

pick ourselves up off the floor

of discouragement,

and say I have a duty,

and I know this is right,

and I'm going to do it.

Or again, let me ask you,

are you conscientious about small things?

Because there most of all,

Christians are tested.

We don't have huge sacrifices to make,

but every day, there are many

little duties that you
know have to be done.

And we have to pay careful attention

to matters of detail,

because our Lord,

He commends people

who are faithful in little things.

And so often, we are losing the battle

in little things.

It might seem to you

not a big issue to be in prayer meeting

on a Wednesday night there.

It might not seem a big issue

to be in Sunday nights of church.

A small thing.

It might seem just a little thing

to ignore writing a letter to someone

to say thanks for all your kindness to me.

Certain things.

But we must make conscience, then,

if we are going to grow in graciousness,

our conscience - we respect it.

Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.