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Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard,

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that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator

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of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,

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neither is weary, there is no searching of

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his understanding?

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He giveth power to the faint, and to

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them that have no might he increases strength.

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Even the youth shall faint and be weary,

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and the young men shall utterly fall.

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But they that wait upon the Lord shall

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renew their strength.

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They shall mount up with wings as eagles,

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they shall run and not be weary, and

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they shall walk and not faint.

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We welcome you to own eagles' wings.

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Again, trust that God will use this to

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be an encouragement to you.

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We're for the pastor that's faithfully preaching the

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word, the local church, the believer.

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We want to proclaim Christ as the answer.

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You need the Lord Jesus Christ as your

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Savior.

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If you're not saved, he's the answer.

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He's the thing that you're looking for.

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Consider him.

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Well, we trust that this program will be

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an encouragement to you personally.

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There's so many things going on today, a

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lot of bad news, and we want to

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be an encouragement to you.

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Let God use this to maybe teach you

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something you don't know.

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You can write us if you want here

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on eagles' wings, Box 1100, Web City, 64870.

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We welcome any kind of comment.

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Well, I've been thinking about ending this year

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and about our conscience.

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You know, the Bible talks about the conscience

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quite a bit, and I've been thinking, well,

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it'd be good to finish this year up

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with a clean conscience, wouldn't it?

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Be good to go into 1990 with our

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hearts all clean, and so we should maybe

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take some time this morning just to give

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God a chance to work on us in

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this area of the conscience.

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The Bible says that a good conscience is

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what we need.

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It's a healthy conscience.

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What is a good conscience?

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I believe it's a healthy conscience.

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It's one that's cleared of offenses toward God

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and toward men, and I believe if we

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have a clean conscience, it'll give us boldness

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and confidence in the Christian life.

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It's the one thing that'll keep us going

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during persecution.

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The reason I say that is, it may

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take persecution to bring revival to this land.

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If you've read anything about revivals, most all

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of them have come out of troublesome times.

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I'm thinking of the church in China right

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now, going through tremendous revival within, but yet

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tremendous persecution without.

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Those people over there have to live clean.

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There's no hypocrites in the church in China.

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Paul testified that he lived in all good

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conscience before God.

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He also told Timothy that the goal of

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the Christian life is genuine love out of

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a pure heart and of a good conscience

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and of faith unfeigned.

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If God was to open up your life

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and put it on a screen, and one

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day our lives will be portrayed on the

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screen, the judgment seat of Christ is a

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believer.

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If that doesn't scare you, I don't know

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what will.

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But if your life was to be opened

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up right now, this morning, maybe you're heading

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to church, you're getting ready right now, eating

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breakfast, shaving, dressing.

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And if you knew this morning that when

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you got to church, through some modern technology,

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they were going to put you in front

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of this machine and it was going to

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lay open your life, your thought life, your

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habits, the places you go, the things you

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read, the things you said, would it drastically

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affect you?

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Or can you say to me, Pastor, it

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doesn't bother me at all, I've got a

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clean conscience.

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That's quite a sobering thought, isn't it?

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Peter urged the Christians to have a good

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conscience so that anyone who spoke evil against

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them falsely would be ashamed.

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In 1 Peter 3, verse 16, it would

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be a terrible thing to have someone accuse

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you of something, an unbeliever especially, and find

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out that they're right.

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The word for good in the Greek is

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agathos, and it's primarily a word giving it

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a wide application of meaning, and a good

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conscience is a strong, healthy conscience.

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I hope you don't have a sick conscience,

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or a weak conscience.

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And a good conscience can be compared to

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good ground that's been properly cultivated of the

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stones and the weeds, and this will produce

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a good harvest.

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When I lived out in Wyoming and pastored

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out there, I helped one of the men

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in my church who was a wheat farmer,

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and one of the things I would do

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is we'd prepare that soil.

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Well, as a matter of fact, most of

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your work was preparing the soil, getting it

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ready, and then you'd make that one-time

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pass through there to plant the seed.

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But all the other times you were running

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the disk, or you was running the rod

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weeder trying to get rid of, prepare the

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soil, you had to bring the moisture up,

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you had to get rid of those weeds,

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for sure, have all the weeds out of

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the way when you planted, because after you

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planted, you couldn't go back over again and

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try to get the weeds out.

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And when the weeds would come up, as

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they always did, they would come up with

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the wheat.

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And at first you couldn't even tell them

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apart.

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But as the crop grew on, and the

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wheat grew tall, and then the wheat would

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turn out to a golden color, there would

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be those dark green weeds showing.

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If you got weeds in your life, they're

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going to show.

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Maybe right now you're covering them up with

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makeup, patching them up, like we try to

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do so many times.

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If something breaks, we try to patch it

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up.

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But sooner or later, it catches up with

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you.

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Be sure your sin will find you out.

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We want to just encourage you to go

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ahead and take care of it right now.

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It's just like I've got something wrong with

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my car, I've got a pump out on

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it, and I keep putting power steering fluid

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in it, but sooner or later I know

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I'm going to have to go ahead and

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get that thing fixed.

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Well, I just keep putting it off, but

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I know it's got to be done.

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And that's the way we are.

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We like to put it off.

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But in the area of sin, it's better

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to just do it right now.

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And that's why I thought it might be

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good to take some time this last day

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of the year and get ourselves cleaned up,

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especially maybe before you go to church this

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morning.

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What is a pure conscience, anyway?

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You know, the Bible tells us in 1

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Timothy 3, 9, that the deacons are to

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hold the mystery of the faith in a

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pure conscience.

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Paul testified that he served God with a

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pure conscience.

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And this Greek word is related to the

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word chaste.

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And its primary definition is to be cleansed

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or purged, free from any admixture which soils,

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adulterates, corrupts, or defiles.

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What about it?

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You got anything in there that's defiling you,

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a habit you haven't got victory over?

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This is one of the things that we've

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seen in the revival crusades that we hold,

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is that as we give God time in

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these meetings, and we like to have two

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weeks, eight days for a minimum, because it

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takes that much time to break through the

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old, hardened, callous consciences that we've built up.

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But if we'll give God time, we begin

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to break up, and break down, and break

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out, and we get our consciences cleansed.

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We go confess things to others.

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We take care of things, make restitution.

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A pure conscience is not stained with guilt

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toward God.

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It is blameless and innocent.

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It feels really good to be clean.

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Now, because of our sin nature, the qualities

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of a pure conscience are only possible as

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we have our hearts cleansed by the blood

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of Christ.

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Hebrews 9, 14 says, How much more shall

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the blood of Christ, who through the eternal

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Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge

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your conscience from dead works to serve the

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living God?

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My friend, if you've never received Christ as

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your Savior, all of your confession and all

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of your good deeds and all of your

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church attendance and whatever you do, all those

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good things, no matter how good they are,

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aren't going to do you any good until

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you get under the blood of Christ, receive

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Christ as your sin bearer.

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So many people are trying to keep their

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conscience clean by doing good things.

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Well, God's not interested in that.

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First of all, he wants you to be

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saved, to trust Christ as your Savior.

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What can wash away my sin?

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Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

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When you become a Christian, then, you have

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a pure conscience toward God through the blood

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of Christ.

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You remember how clean you felt when you

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got saved, when you first got saved?

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I do.

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I walked out at night.

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It felt like everything was fresh and clear

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and crisp and clean.

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I didn't know what was going on.

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I didn't even know I got saved.

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All I knew is I felt good, cleansed,

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forgiven.

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You need to watch it that you stay

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this way.

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Remember Jesus said something to us about our

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conscience.

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He says, Therefore if thou bring thy gift

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to the altar, and there rememberest, there's that

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word, rememberest, that thy brother hath ought against

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thee, leave there thy gift before the altar,

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and go thy way.

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First be reconciled to thy brother, and then

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come and offer thy gift.

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That's Matthew 5, 23 and 24.

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A good conscience is one that allows me

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to look every person in the eye, knowing

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that not one of them can point a

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finger and say, You wronged me, and you

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never tried to make it right.

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One of the things that we have in

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this ministry is we have some restitution guidelines.

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Maybe I'll share some of these things with

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you sometime.

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Very important to make things right between God

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and man.

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Well, it's good to think about these things.

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It's good to give some thought to them.

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I think maybe we'll run a song through

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while you think over some of the things

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I've said, and then I'll come back and

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share a little bit more with you.

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Think about it.

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Wouldn't you like to go into the new

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year with a clean, cleansed heart?

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Wouldn't you like to feel the freshness of

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the Holy Spirit living in your life without

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00:12:40,330 --> 00:12:42,290
all the filth of lust?

272
00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:47,620
Could I share some steps with you on

273
00:12:47,620 --> 00:12:50,220
how to gain a good conscience?

274
00:12:50,220 --> 00:12:53,760
You see, introspection is not the way to

275
00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:54,800
gain a good conscience.

276
00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:56,040
Just looking within.

277
00:12:57,020 --> 00:13:00,080
Through introspection we measure ourselves by what we

278
00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:02,300
think is right or wrong.

279
00:13:03,580 --> 00:13:06,120
This type of evaluation, by the way, is

280
00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:07,220
condemned in Scripture.

281
00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:08,980
Look at 2 Corinthians 10 and 12.

282
00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:12,020
In the course of reading Scripture and living

283
00:13:12,020 --> 00:13:15,700
the Christian life, the Holy Spirit will bring

284
00:13:15,700 --> 00:13:18,160
to your mind offenses which need to be

285
00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:18,740
cleared up.

286
00:13:19,740 --> 00:13:23,520
This is why, when you have sin in

287
00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:30,380
your life, you won't spend much time in

288
00:13:30,380 --> 00:13:32,280
prayer and in the Word.

289
00:13:32,980 --> 00:13:35,260
This is one of the reasons our churches

290
00:13:35,260 --> 00:13:39,600
are not praying, is because we are so

291
00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:44,460
full of the cancerous sin that stops prayer.

292
00:13:44,460 --> 00:13:50,160
And if somebody goes over in the prayer

293
00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:52,080
meeting and prays too long, somebody else will

294
00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:52,760
get upset.

295
00:13:54,460 --> 00:13:59,900
We have so structured our churches according to

296
00:13:59,900 --> 00:14:03,560
ourselves that I believe the Spirit of God

297
00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:07,500
is almost totally out.

298
00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:11,740
As far as practically running the church, we

299
00:14:11,740 --> 00:14:12,460
do things.

300
00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:15,860
And if things don't go our way, we

301
00:14:15,860 --> 00:14:17,920
get upset, we get mad.

302
00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:21,680
If someone doesn't do something just exactly the

303
00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:25,100
way we think it should be done, we

304
00:14:25,100 --> 00:14:29,080
get mad, upset, or we boil inside.

305
00:14:32,590 --> 00:14:34,390
He's to be the Lord of the church.

306
00:14:35,770 --> 00:14:38,230
And as a result of sin in our

307
00:14:38,230 --> 00:14:40,870
lives, we don't spend much time in the

308
00:14:40,870 --> 00:14:41,150
Word.

309
00:14:41,150 --> 00:14:43,910
We get plenty of time for ourselves, though,

310
00:14:44,050 --> 00:14:45,690
for TV and all that other stuff.

311
00:14:46,910 --> 00:14:48,850
So in the course of reading Scripture and

312
00:14:48,850 --> 00:14:51,610
living the Christian life, the Holy Spirit will

313
00:14:51,610 --> 00:14:53,410
bring to your mind offenses that need to

314
00:14:53,410 --> 00:14:54,030
be cleared up.

315
00:14:54,130 --> 00:14:57,850
And when He does, if you don't take

316
00:14:57,850 --> 00:15:01,050
care of it, you will just put another

317
00:15:01,050 --> 00:15:03,010
layer of hardness on your conscience.

318
00:15:03,870 --> 00:15:07,170
When these come to your remembrance, you're then

319
00:15:07,170 --> 00:15:09,010
to take the steps to restore a good

320
00:15:09,010 --> 00:15:09,510
conscience.

321
00:15:09,510 --> 00:15:12,510
Paul said, herein do I exercise myself.

322
00:15:13,250 --> 00:15:16,030
It's an exercise of spiritual discipline, he said,

323
00:15:16,130 --> 00:15:19,230
to have always a conscience void of offense

324
00:15:19,230 --> 00:15:20,390
toward God and towards men.

325
00:15:20,910 --> 00:15:22,890
Okay, God may bring to your mind offenses

326
00:15:22,890 --> 00:15:25,270
that you have committed against any of the

327
00:15:25,270 --> 00:15:25,670
following.

328
00:15:26,370 --> 00:15:29,130
Against Himself, or your father.

329
00:15:30,470 --> 00:15:32,770
Or maybe you've committed an offense against your

330
00:15:32,770 --> 00:15:35,290
mother, or your child, or your children.

331
00:15:35,980 --> 00:15:40,090
Your stepfather, your stepmother, your brothers or brother,

332
00:15:40,210 --> 00:15:42,070
your sister or sisters, your relatives.

333
00:15:42,910 --> 00:15:45,530
What about your spouse, husband?

334
00:15:45,950 --> 00:15:48,990
Have you said cutting words to her?

335
00:15:50,370 --> 00:15:51,930
Or what about to your pastor?

336
00:15:53,090 --> 00:15:55,970
Are you pastor to someone else?

337
00:15:56,570 --> 00:15:57,630
Or your teacher?

338
00:15:58,270 --> 00:15:59,190
Or your friend?

339
00:16:01,410 --> 00:16:04,270
Have you committed an offense against your neighbor,

340
00:16:04,910 --> 00:16:05,690
your employer?

341
00:16:07,070 --> 00:16:09,510
Have you stole from him time or money?

342
00:16:09,790 --> 00:16:12,390
Your business associate, have you cheated him and

343
00:16:12,390 --> 00:16:13,630
not been totally honest?

344
00:16:14,010 --> 00:16:16,310
A store owner, or the government?

345
00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:20,940
It might be good to get you a

346
00:16:20,940 --> 00:16:22,940
sheet of paper and just write a column

347
00:16:22,940 --> 00:16:25,300
down in the first column of this worksheet.

348
00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:27,040
List those whom you've offended.

349
00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:29,820
And start with the ones whom you've offended

350
00:16:29,820 --> 00:16:30,460
the most.

351
00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:34,700
And then work on getting right with them.

352
00:16:34,740 --> 00:16:35,960
And what I want to do is take

353
00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:37,660
some time to share with you how to

354
00:16:37,660 --> 00:16:37,960
do it.

355
00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:39,860
There's a right way to do it, and

356
00:16:39,860 --> 00:16:41,200
there's a wrong way to do it.

357
00:16:41,940 --> 00:16:43,500
And we might have to get into next

358
00:16:43,500 --> 00:16:44,640
week on some of this stuff.

359
00:16:44,780 --> 00:16:47,660
But why don't you list their offenses toward

360
00:16:47,660 --> 00:16:47,900
you?

361
00:16:48,500 --> 00:16:50,060
There are at least two reasons for beginning

362
00:16:50,060 --> 00:16:52,560
with a list of offenses which others have

363
00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:54,460
committed toward us before we deal with our

364
00:16:54,460 --> 00:16:54,860
own guilt.

365
00:16:54,980 --> 00:16:57,440
First, we tend to balance guilt with blame.

366
00:16:58,300 --> 00:17:01,360
And therefore we never effectively deal with either

367
00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:01,760
one.

368
00:17:02,940 --> 00:17:04,260
And there's another thing, too.

369
00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,359
We usually concentrate more on blaming others than

370
00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:08,480
we do on our own guilt.

371
00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:11,099
And we do that because we want to

372
00:17:11,099 --> 00:17:12,200
justify ourself.

373
00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:15,060
And by writing down why we blame them,

374
00:17:15,140 --> 00:17:17,740
we remove a major distraction in dealing with

375
00:17:17,740 --> 00:17:18,700
our own offenses.

376
00:17:18,700 --> 00:17:22,240
Another purpose for writing down why we blame

377
00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:24,720
others is that we can more effectively deal

378
00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,180
with our offenders after we have taken care

379
00:17:27,180 --> 00:17:28,080
of our own guilt.

380
00:17:28,980 --> 00:17:31,360
This is the instruction of Matthew 7, 3

381
00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:31,880
and 5.

382
00:17:32,020 --> 00:17:34,520
And why beholdest thou the molt that is

383
00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:37,280
in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the

384
00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:38,640
beam that is in thine own eye?

385
00:17:39,060 --> 00:17:41,480
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out

386
00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:43,940
of thine own eye, get yourself cleansed first.

387
00:17:44,940 --> 00:17:47,560
Then thou shalt see clearly to cast out

388
00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:49,620
the molt out of thy brother's eye.

389
00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:53,180
Isn't it amazing how we try to go

390
00:17:53,180 --> 00:17:56,140
get somebody else straightened up before we've got

391
00:17:56,140 --> 00:17:57,500
our own act straightened up?

392
00:17:58,160 --> 00:17:59,840
And so what we've got is a church

393
00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:01,500
full of people trying to get each other

394
00:18:01,500 --> 00:18:05,520
straightened up first without getting out that log

395
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:06,440
out of their own eye.

396
00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:11,720
Now in your good conscience worksheet, after that

397
00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:13,820
first project you might have a second project

398
00:18:13,820 --> 00:18:15,160
in another column.

399
00:18:15,580 --> 00:18:17,680
List the things for which you blame each

400
00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:21,320
person in column one.

401
00:18:22,420 --> 00:18:25,260
Now in column two, list your offenses.

402
00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:28,680
You see it's easy to minimize our offenses

403
00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:30,800
and at the same time blame others or

404
00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:31,880
justify what we did.

405
00:18:32,260 --> 00:18:34,000
Therefore it would be very wise to begin

406
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,580
this next step by asking God to revive

407
00:18:36,580 --> 00:18:37,360
our memory.

408
00:18:38,660 --> 00:18:41,700
Psalms 139, 23 and 24, something good to

409
00:18:41,700 --> 00:18:42,320
pray a lot.

410
00:18:43,140 --> 00:18:45,420
Search me, O God, and know my heart.

411
00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:51,580
Try me and know my thoughts.

412
00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:54,740
And see if there be any wicked way

413
00:18:54,740 --> 00:18:55,360
in me.

414
00:18:55,740 --> 00:18:58,040
And lead me in the way everlasting.

415
00:19:00,410 --> 00:19:04,290
If I were to ask those who are

416
00:19:04,290 --> 00:19:06,430
offended with me what I did against them,

417
00:19:06,510 --> 00:19:07,430
what would they say?

418
00:19:08,250 --> 00:19:10,830
Have you ever gone back to somebody and

419
00:19:10,830 --> 00:19:15,650
had them share with you how you offended

420
00:19:15,650 --> 00:19:15,990
them?

421
00:19:16,590 --> 00:19:17,590
Or something you did?

422
00:19:18,150 --> 00:19:19,450
I did that once.

423
00:19:20,010 --> 00:19:22,790
By the way, I don't like to have

424
00:19:22,790 --> 00:19:25,070
my thoughts told to me.

425
00:19:26,130 --> 00:19:27,630
I despise it.

426
00:19:28,650 --> 00:19:30,030
I can't stand it.

427
00:19:30,870 --> 00:19:32,450
But that is the flesh.

428
00:19:33,070 --> 00:19:33,950
I need it.

429
00:19:33,950 --> 00:19:37,330
Wives, husbands, be honest with one another.

430
00:19:37,490 --> 00:19:39,070
Work with one another in this area.

431
00:19:39,370 --> 00:19:41,590
I thank God that I have a godly

432
00:19:41,590 --> 00:19:47,210
wife that is fearless, too, to point out

433
00:19:47,210 --> 00:19:48,310
my flaws to me.

434
00:19:48,550 --> 00:19:52,130
And she's continually making little statements and things.

435
00:19:52,950 --> 00:19:55,850
And I need it because I'm rough.

436
00:19:56,450 --> 00:19:59,030
I'm rough around the edges and rough inside

437
00:19:59,030 --> 00:19:59,530
and out.

438
00:19:59,950 --> 00:20:01,130
Just like sandpaper.

439
00:20:01,130 --> 00:20:03,650
And if I rub somebody, boy, I need

440
00:20:03,650 --> 00:20:03,890
her.

441
00:20:04,770 --> 00:20:06,090
She is truly a help me.

442
00:20:07,230 --> 00:20:08,850
Now, what did you do that caused others

443
00:20:08,850 --> 00:20:10,050
to be offended by you?

444
00:20:11,270 --> 00:20:13,150
This thing, you know, you're going to turn

445
00:20:13,150 --> 00:20:15,070
me off if you're not really interested in

446
00:20:15,070 --> 00:20:15,330
this.

447
00:20:15,370 --> 00:20:16,330
I realize that.

448
00:20:17,130 --> 00:20:18,290
That's not my problem.

449
00:20:18,390 --> 00:20:18,890
It's yours.

450
00:20:19,410 --> 00:20:21,390
But what did you do that caused others

451
00:20:21,390 --> 00:20:22,570
to be offended by you?

452
00:20:23,750 --> 00:20:26,710
Did you speak words which were critical?

453
00:20:27,590 --> 00:20:29,250
Boy, this is one thing I have to

454
00:20:29,250 --> 00:20:29,630
watch.

455
00:20:29,630 --> 00:20:31,650
Romans 14 is good.

456
00:20:32,110 --> 00:20:33,130
The critical spirit.

457
00:20:33,550 --> 00:20:35,150
What about, did you speak some words that

458
00:20:35,150 --> 00:20:41,630
were judgmental or slanderous or untruthful or harsh?

459
00:20:42,110 --> 00:20:44,510
Have you spoken to someone in a disruptive

460
00:20:44,510 --> 00:20:48,950
way or a vulgar or profane or contentious

461
00:20:48,950 --> 00:20:50,090
or indiscreet?

462
00:20:51,310 --> 00:20:53,450
Boy, Proverbs would really get down to this

463
00:20:53,450 --> 00:20:54,050
thing of words.

464
00:20:54,130 --> 00:20:55,110
What about actions?

465
00:20:56,690 --> 00:20:57,670
Careless actions.

466
00:20:57,670 --> 00:20:59,690
Dishonest actions.

467
00:21:00,350 --> 00:21:01,510
Improper actions.

468
00:21:02,090 --> 00:21:02,670
Sensual.

469
00:21:03,410 --> 00:21:04,450
Disrespectful.

470
00:21:04,890 --> 00:21:05,710
Slotful.

471
00:21:06,610 --> 00:21:07,290
Destructive.

472
00:21:08,150 --> 00:21:08,970
Indulgent.

473
00:21:09,850 --> 00:21:10,390
Tardy.

474
00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:13,960
What about this?

475
00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:15,160
Do you have trouble with being late?

476
00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:17,320
How about wasteful?

477
00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:23,520
Hypocritical or unjust or forgetful or disobedient.

478
00:21:24,180 --> 00:21:26,660
Whatever it is, write it down.

479
00:21:26,660 --> 00:21:31,380
Now, for a third project, from the list

480
00:21:31,380 --> 00:21:35,700
above, identify your major offenses toward the one

481
00:21:35,700 --> 00:21:38,120
you wronged and write them out in column

482
00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:39,900
3 on your worksheet.

483
00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:42,500
Write them out.

484
00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:48,560
Now, next time, if we continue on in

485
00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:50,260
this study, if the Lord directs in this

486
00:21:50,260 --> 00:21:53,060
area, we'll talk about the attitudes.

487
00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:55,500
What were the attitudes that caused your wrong

488
00:21:55,500 --> 00:21:56,720
words and actions?

489
00:21:57,420 --> 00:21:59,660
And I'll do this by giving you some

490
00:21:59,660 --> 00:22:03,680
illustrations of the right and wrong way to

491
00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:05,200
try to make something right.

492
00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,600
Now, you be very careful about trying to

493
00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:12,080
do this in the flesh.

494
00:22:12,820 --> 00:22:17,160
Because even if we're just 10% wrong,

495
00:22:17,900 --> 00:22:22,380
we want to try to make ourself look

496
00:22:22,380 --> 00:22:22,800
good.

497
00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:24,920
But that's not the point.

498
00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:28,400
Remember, Matthew, you take care of the log

499
00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:30,520
that's in your own eye, then you can

500
00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:31,940
get that splinter out of your brother's.

501
00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,140
Because the interesting thing is, you think you've

502
00:22:34,140 --> 00:22:35,640
just got a splinter and he's got the

503
00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,000
log, but the fact may be that you've

504
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:39,940
got the log in your eye and he's

505
00:22:39,940 --> 00:22:40,640
got the splinter.

506
00:22:42,810 --> 00:22:46,650
It's human nature, the old fleshly nature, to

507
00:22:46,650 --> 00:22:49,950
try to make ourselves look good by making

508
00:22:49,950 --> 00:22:51,890
somebody else look bad.

509
00:22:51,890 --> 00:22:56,330
That's an old, old trick from the pit

510
00:22:56,330 --> 00:22:58,690
of hell, covered with slime.

511
00:22:59,950 --> 00:23:01,110
Let God cleanse you.

512
00:23:02,410 --> 00:23:03,990
Let Him deal with you and lift you

513
00:23:03,990 --> 00:23:04,190
up.

514
00:23:04,290 --> 00:23:09,010
Let Him be in your life holiness.

515
00:23:10,770 --> 00:23:13,970
One of the characteristics of the early church

516
00:23:13,970 --> 00:23:15,090
was holiness.

517
00:23:15,090 --> 00:23:19,090
You remember in Acts chapter 5, when Ananias

518
00:23:19,090 --> 00:23:22,090
and Sapphira sold some land and tried to

519
00:23:22,090 --> 00:23:24,570
get away with making it look like they

520
00:23:24,570 --> 00:23:26,810
were giving all of the money to the

521
00:23:26,810 --> 00:23:27,190
church?

522
00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:29,960
Remember?

523
00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,260
It says, Peter, it says, Why has Satan

524
00:23:34,260 --> 00:23:36,520
filled thine heart to lie to the Holy

525
00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:36,920
Ghost?

526
00:23:37,500 --> 00:23:39,440
Has Satan got a spot in your heart

527
00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:43,040
to keep back part of the price of

528
00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:43,560
the land?

529
00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:45,880
While it remained, was it not thine own?

530
00:23:46,220 --> 00:23:47,840
And after it was sold, was it not

531
00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:48,360
thine own?

532
00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:50,460
And in thy own power, why hast thou

533
00:23:50,460 --> 00:23:52,380
conceived this thing in thine heart?

534
00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:54,700
Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto

535
00:23:54,700 --> 00:23:55,120
God.

536
00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,180
And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and

537
00:23:58,180 --> 00:23:59,000
gave up the ghost.

538
00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:01,980
And great fear came on all them that

539
00:24:01,980 --> 00:24:02,980
heard these things.

540
00:24:03,740 --> 00:24:07,060
And the same thing happened to his wife.

541
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:09,440
She fell down and died too.

542
00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:12,160
And the result of that was great fear

543
00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:14,500
came upon all the church, and upon many

544
00:24:14,500 --> 00:24:15,620
as heard these things.

545
00:24:16,420 --> 00:24:18,100
And by the hands of the apostles were

546
00:24:18,100 --> 00:24:20,360
many signs and wonders wrought among the people,

547
00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:22,140
and they were all with one accord in

548
00:24:22,140 --> 00:24:22,940
Solomon's porch.

549
00:24:23,360 --> 00:24:25,800
And the rest, no man joined himself to

550
00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:27,660
them, but the people magnified them.

551
00:24:27,940 --> 00:24:30,080
And believers were the more added to the

552
00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:31,960
Lord, multitudes both of men and women.

553
00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:33,340
They had a revival in the church.

554
00:24:33,580 --> 00:24:36,880
People were getting saved because they were letting

555
00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:38,400
God be the Lord.

556
00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:40,500
There was a holiness in the church.

557
00:24:40,500 --> 00:24:43,440
There was a purity in the church.

558
00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:46,580
That's what we need today.

559
00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:52,040
When we let go and let God lift

560
00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:54,700
us up and bear us on eagle's wings,

561
00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:56,940
we'll see people getting saved.

562
00:24:57,100 --> 00:24:58,980
But first, they want to see the church

563
00:24:58,980 --> 00:25:03,260
getting on fire, burning with a holy zeal,

564
00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:04,480
with purity.

565
00:25:05,060 --> 00:25:05,760
How about it?

566
00:25:06,340 --> 00:25:08,980
Are you willing to let go and let

567
00:25:08,980 --> 00:25:12,400
God be the Lord of your life, the

568
00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:13,260
Lord of your church?

569
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:16,500
Let Him bear you on eagle's wings.

570
00:25:16,900 --> 00:25:17,920
Let Him cleanse you.

571
00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:19,940
One of the things about the grace of

572
00:25:19,940 --> 00:25:22,240
God is that it purifies us.