Winning the Internal Battle for Holiness

 

Summary

In this message, I felt a profound weight as I addressed the call to holiness, a call that is deeply rooted in the New Testament. We are all familiar with the commands to abstain from fleshly lusts, to mortify the deeds of the body, and to live lives that are holy and acceptable to God. Yet, despite this knowledge, the church seems to be losing the battle for holiness. Many people ask me how I maintain my integrity and avoid falling into sin. I have accountability through my family and close friends, but ultimately, the battle for holiness is won on the inside, in the conscience.

The conscience is a God-given mechanism that warns us when we are on a path to spiritual collision. It functions like a skylight, allowing the light of God's truth to illuminate our souls. However, for the conscience to function properly, it must be informed by the Word of God. Without this, it can become misinformed or silenced, leading to spiritual shipwreck. The conscience is not the voice of God, but it is a critical tool that helps us evaluate our thoughts and actions.

I shared the story of John Bunyan, who chose a clear conscience over freedom, and the tragic tale of a pilot who ignored his plane's warning system, leading to disaster. These stories illustrate the importance of listening to our conscience and allowing it to guide us in holiness. The conscience can either accuse or excuse us, and it is where the battle for holiness must be won.

In a world where moral standards are rapidly declining, it is crucial that we inform our conscience with the truth of God's Word. This is the only way to ensure that it functions correctly and helps us live lives that are pleasing to God. As believers, our conscience has been cleansed by the blood of Christ, allowing us to respond to its warnings and deal with sin on the inside. Ultimately, the testimony of our conscience is the highest human court, and it is where we must win the battle for holiness.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Battle for Holiness Begins Within: Holiness is not merely about external behavior but is rooted in the internal battle within our conscience. The conscience, informed by God's Word, serves as a warning system that guides us away from sin. Winning this internal battle is crucial for living a life that honors God. [06:21]

2. The Role of Conscience in Spiritual Life: The conscience is a God-given mechanism that functions like a skylight, allowing the light of God's truth to illuminate our souls. It is not the voice of God but a tool that helps us evaluate our thoughts and actions. For it to function properly, it must be informed by the Word of God. [23:40]

3. The Danger of Ignoring the Conscience: Ignoring or silencing the conscience leads to spiritual shipwreck. Like the pilot who ignored his plane's warning system, we risk disaster when we disregard the warnings of our conscience. It is essential to listen to and heed its guidance. [12:32]

4. Informing the Conscience with Truth: In a world where moral standards are declining, it is crucial to inform our conscience with the truth of God's Word. This ensures that it functions correctly and helps us live lives that are pleasing to God. A well-informed conscience is essential for spiritual growth and holiness. [29:16]

5. The Cleansing of the Conscience Through Christ: As believers, our conscience has been cleansed by the blood of Christ, allowing us to respond to its warnings and deal with sin on the inside. This cleansing enables us to live with a clear conscience before God and men, as exemplified by the apostle Paul. [36:53]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:32] - The Call to Holiness
- [01:20] - Familiar Commands
- [02:27] - Personal Accountability
- [03:11] - Family Expectations
- [04:46] - The Role of Conscience
- [06:21] - Winning the Internal Battle
- [08:08] - The Key to Holiness
- [11:00] - The Conscience as a Warning System
- [14:08] - The Gift of Pain and Conscience
- [17:08] - The Greek Understanding of Conscience
- [20:13] - The Conscience in Human Nature
- [23:40] - Informing the Conscience with God's Word
- [29:16] - The Decline of Moral Standards
- [36:53] - The Cleansing of the Conscience Through Christ

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Battle for Holiness

Bible Reading:
- 2 Corinthians 1:12
- Romans 2:14-15
- Hebrews 10:22

---

Observation Questions:

1. What does Paul mean by "the testimony of our conscience" in 2 Corinthians 1:12, and how does he describe his conduct in the world? [07:18]

2. According to the sermon, how does the conscience function similarly to a warning system, and what happens when it is ignored? [12:32]

3. How does the sermon describe the role of conscience in the life of John Bunyan, and what choice did he make because of it? [08:50]

4. What are the two main ways mentioned in the sermon that can lead to the destruction of the conscience's effectiveness? [32:41]

---

Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the conscience is like a skylight, and why is it important for it to be informed by God's Word? [23:40]

2. How does the sermon illustrate the consequences of ignoring the conscience with the story of the Avianca airline crash? What spiritual lesson can be drawn from this? [11:46]

3. What does the sermon imply about the relationship between a cleansed conscience and the ability to respond to sin? How does this relate to Hebrews 10:22? [36:53]

4. How does the sermon use the example of the apostle Paul to demonstrate the importance of maintaining a clear conscience before God and men? [42:26]

---

Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when your conscience warned you about a decision. How did you respond, and what was the outcome? How might you handle a similar situation differently in the future? [12:32]

2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of informing our conscience with God's Word. What specific steps can you take this week to ensure your conscience is being properly informed by Scripture? [23:40]

3. Consider the role of accountability in your life. Who are the people you trust to help you maintain your integrity, and how can you strengthen these relationships? [03:11]

4. The sermon mentions the declining moral standards in society. How can you actively work to uphold God's standards in your personal and professional life? [29:16]

5. How does the concept of a cleansed conscience through Christ impact your daily walk with God? What changes might you need to make to live with a clear conscience before God and others? [36:53]

6. Think about a situation where you might have silenced your conscience. What can you do to become more sensitive to its warnings in the future? [32:41]

7. How can you encourage others in your community to value and listen to their conscience as a guide for holiness? What role can you play in helping them inform their conscience with God's truth? [23:40]

Devotional

Day 1: The Inner Battle for Holiness
Holiness is not just about outward actions but begins within the conscience, where the true battle is fought. The conscience acts as a spiritual warning system, guiding us away from sin when informed by God's Word. Winning this internal battle is essential for living a life that honors God. The conscience, when properly informed, helps us evaluate our thoughts and actions, ensuring they align with God's standards. [06:21]

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area in your life where your conscience has been warning you, and how can you begin to address it today with God's help?


Day 2: Conscience as a Spiritual Skylight
The conscience is a God-given mechanism that functions like a skylight, allowing the light of God's truth to illuminate our souls. It is not the voice of God but a tool that helps us evaluate our thoughts and actions. For it to function properly, it must be informed by the Word of God. Without this, the conscience can become misinformed or silenced, leading to spiritual shipwreck. [23:40]

"So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man." (Acts 24:16, ESV)

Reflection: How can you actively inform your conscience with God's Word this week, and what steps will you take to ensure it remains sensitive to His truth?


Day 3: Heeding the Warnings of Conscience
Ignoring or silencing the conscience leads to spiritual shipwreck. Like the pilot who ignored his plane's warning system, we risk disaster when we disregard the warnings of our conscience. It is essential to listen to and heed its guidance to avoid spiritual disaster. The conscience can either accuse or excuse us, and it is where the battle for holiness must be won. [12:32]

"Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray." (Proverbs 10:17, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you ignored your conscience. What can you learn from this experience, and how can you respond differently in the future?


Day 4: Informing the Conscience with God's Truth
In a world where moral standards are declining, it is crucial to inform our conscience with the truth of God's Word. This ensures that it functions correctly and helps us live lives that are pleasing to God. A well-informed conscience is essential for spiritual growth and holiness. By immersing ourselves in Scripture, we equip our conscience to guide us rightly. [29:16]

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105, ESV)

Reflection: What specific steps can you take to immerse yourself more deeply in God's Word this week, and how will this help inform your conscience?


Day 5: Cleansing of the Conscience Through Christ
As believers, our conscience has been cleansed by the blood of Christ, allowing us to respond to its warnings and deal with sin on the inside. This cleansing enables us to live with a clear conscience before God and men, as exemplified by the apostle Paul. The testimony of our conscience is the highest human court, and it is where we must win the battle for holiness. [36:53]

"How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." (Hebrews 9:14, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on the cleansing power of Christ's sacrifice. How does this truth empower you to live with a clear conscience today, and what changes will you make to align your life with this reality?

Quotes

"We all know that the New Testament is filled with calls to holiness. We are familiar with the command to abstain from fleshly lust, to mortify the deeds of the body, to make no provision for the flesh, to love not the world, to flee immorality, to put off the old man and put on the new, to think on what is true and honorable and right and pure, to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, to wear the breastplate of righteousness, to buffet our body to bring it into subjection, to present our bodies a living sacrifices, wholly acceptable unto God." [00:00:43]

"John Owen wrote, 'Let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness while he walks not over the bellies of his lusts.' Owen also wrote, and it is here that we will stop to consider our subject, he wrote, 'If you want to kill sin,' quote, 'load your conscience with the guilt of it.' End quote. The key to holiness, I believe, in your life, is your conscience." [00:07:11]

"Conscience is a tremendous gift. We need to understand the role that it plays in holiness. Conscience is the God-given warning mechanism, the God-given warning device that tells us we are on a path to spiritual collision. I suppose the best parallel to it is pain. Pain, do you understand, pain is a good thing? Do you understand that? Because pain tells you there's something wrong with your body, and you need to do something about it." [00:13:27]

"Conscience is the soul's warning system, and that is the point at which you have to win the spiritual battle. Now let me tell you something. Conscience fights that battle all alone. By the power, of course, of the truth, and the Spirit of God, but without any other human to help. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2, 'Only the spirit of a man knows what is,' where? 'in the man.'" [00:15:40]

"The conscience is not to be equated with the voice of God. It is not the voice of God. It is not to be equated with the law of God, or the Word of God. It is not. It is a mechanism of humanity, of the human soul. And to function properly, this is very important, it must have the right information. The radar on the airplane sent back the right information. And the conscience must have the right information." [00:22:48]

"Holiness comes as a result of the process of the Word of God informing the conscience, and conscience informing the person. The Bible is that true standard. And the radar is accurate. And when your conscience is fully, carefully, accurately, completely informed by the Word of God, then it can operate at maximum level. And that's critical. That's critical." [00:25:22]

"There are really two ways to assure that people are unholy. Misinform their conscience. Twist, pervert, moral law. That's the first way, and that's what we're talking about. And frankly, the standard for morality in our culture is falling faster than the NASDAQ, isn't it? When your cultural hero is Eminem you know how far you've fallen. And you have a whole generation of people being raised with a diminished moral understanding." [00:29:26]

"If you want holiness in your life, you must inform your conscience with the truth of God! Because if your mind, and what you think and believe is defiled, you're going to fall into that category of Titus 1:15, 'Both their mind and conscience are then defiled.' They go together." [00:31:51]

"On the other hand, for those of us who are redeemed, at the moment of salvation -- I love this -- Hebrews 10:22 says, 'The believer's soul is washed from an evil conscience.' The ninth chapter, I think it's verse 14 says that He cleanses our conscience with His blood. So, with the conscience washed, with the conscience cleansed, sanitized by the Holy Spirit, informed by the Word of God, the believer can react to its warnings, and sin can be dealt with where it must be dealt with -- on the inside." [00:37:15]

"Paul didn’t need letters. I suppose he could’ve said, 'Well, you know, we’ve appointed an ad hoc committee, and they’re going to assess me and give a full report in several months about my virtue.' He didn’t say that either. You know what he said? I love this. Go back to verse 12. 'For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our' what?, what? 'conscience.' Isn’t that good? That is the highest human court, my friend. You can’t get any higher than that." [00:41:02]

"With all you’ve said, Paul says, 'with all you’ve said, I will tell you that, on the inside, I have lived my life in holiness and godly sincerity. Not out of fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God and, by that, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. You can say all you want to say, and I will tell you the battle is won by the grace of God in my conscience.' Isn’t that great? It’s where you have to win the battle, my friend. That’s where you win it." [00:41:36]

"Father, we thank you that sin is most likely mortified when conscience is satisfied. May we love the truth, fully inform our conscience with it, and pull up when it tells us; that our lives might be to the praise of your glory. Amen." [00:42:52]

Chatbot

  • I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Dec 08, 2014. Do you have any questions about it?

Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?