The five great lights are as follows (for each one of these LIGHTS, we will include a hyperlink to the corresponding teaching that pastor Sonny gave at SHINE BRIGHT Church):
1.THE LIGHT OF CREATION.
2. THE LIGHT OF CONSCIENCE.
3. THE LIGHT OF CONDEMNATION.
4. THE LIGHT OF COMMANDMENTS.
5. THE LIGHT OF CHRIST.
1. The Light of Creation (We covered this great light last Sunday, where creation is the most basic way in which God has revealed Himself. The complexities and wonders of creation should cause us to humbly say “With all this intricate and mind-blowing design, there must be a Designer!” Everyone should say, “With the Earth hanging on nothing (Job 26:7), there must be Someone holding all this up”).
2. The Light of Conscience. 3. The Light of Condemnation. 4. The Light of Commandments. 5. The Light of Christ.
Let’s proceed with great light #2
2. The Light of Conscience
ROMANS 2:14-16
14 for when Gentiles [referring to non-Jews], who do not have the law [in other words the Decalogue was given to the Jews on Mount Sinai], by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
Here we clearly see that vs. 15 the Law (The Ten Commandments – to some degree) have been written on the heart of every human (And we’ll look at this little more in a moment). And it’s the conscience that we all possess that either obeys or disobeys that God given internal law.
Conscience means “with knowledge.” God has placed in us the knowledge of right and wrong, good and evil. The law and conscience are in one sense God’s signature on us. This is how God has left an imprint IN us. So when we violate or sin against this internal law, in connection with our internal voice of conscience we feel guilty. When people sin and don’t feel guilty, it’s because their conscience is malfunctioning (it’s either breaking down or it’s altogether broken). They may have trained their conscience to ignore the internal law and guilt, and this is a very dangerous place to be. Because without guilt, there will be no repentance and without repentance, there will be no salvation from eternal flames. Can you see how important a healthy conscience is?
Here are specific ways in which we can better understand what the conscience is:
1. I like to see the conscience as an internal personal judge.
It’s that inner voice that no one hears but you and God that says, “Sonny, you shouldn’t do that - it’s wrong (and if you have a healthy conscience, the HS will assist your conscience with a Bible verse). Or “Sonny, it is ok to do that - it is right.” Just as Romans 1:15b says, “…their thoughts [referring to conscience] accusing or else excusing them.”
Cartoons have shown or illustrated this by putting a sly devil on one shoulder and a sincere angel on the other shoulder. The devil encourages evil actions while the angel encourages good actions. I remember seeing more of this in the older cartoons like Heathcliff, the mischievous neighborhood cat. That was one of my favorite childhood cartoons.
2. Conscience has also been seen by many theologians as a moral compass.
Conscience tells you the right way to go like a compass. i.e. When a sailor is lost at sea due to storms and dark clouds blocking the sun during the day or the stars at night and they are going South when they should be going North, they pull out the old faithful compass to find their way.
3. John MacArthur calls the conscience a warning system.
"In addition to an innate awareness of God’s Law, men have a warning system that activates when they choose to ignore or disobey that law."
So, we can see conscience as a personal judge, a moral compass, or a warning system. Conscience’s job is to assist us in doing what’s right when we are tempted to do what is wrong. Our conscience serves as proof of God's love toward fallen humanity because without it, we would all just destroy one another without conviction or remorse. Our conscience preserves to some degree the image bearers of God – humanity.
The Bible says that there are some people with corrupt and seared or burnt/charcoaled/blackened consciences. These are the kinds of people who continue to ignore Biblical truth and light. The more they ignore and refuse, the more malfunctioning their conscience becomes.
God generously gives man light to be able to turn to Him and to know Him and it’s as though the rebel keeps turning off the light switch – because again, as Jesus says, “they loved darkness rather than light.”
Listen to the warning God gives to those who reject God’s goodness and loving call to repentance.
ROMANS 2:4-11
4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who "will render to each one according to his deeds": 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.
Here are some bible verses regarding corrupted consciences:
1 TIMOTHY 4:1-2
“1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,”
TITUS 1:15-16
15 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 [dirty]. 16 [The proof of a defiled conscience] They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
When consciences go bad, “everyone will do what is right in their own eyes” and that’s why we see so much madness today. JUDGES 17:6 says, “6 In those days there was no king [No conscience in our day] in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
When false teachers (wolves) and hard headed sheep accused the Apostle Paul of wrongdoing, he would always appeal to his conscience, his internal and personal judge.
So, we can see conscience as a personal judge, a moral compass, or a warning system. Conscience’s job is to assist us in doing what’s right when we are tempted to do what is wrong. Our conscience serves as proof of God's love toward fallen humanity because without it, we would all just destroy one another without conviction or remorse. Our conscience preserves to some degree the image bearers of God – humanity.
The Bible says that there are some people with corrupt and seared or burnt/charcoaled/blackened consciences. These are the kinds of people who continue to ignore Biblical truth and light. The more they ignore and refuse, the more malfunctioning their conscience becomes.
God generously gives man light to be able to turn to Him and to know Him and it’s as though the rebel keeps turning off the light switch – because again, as Jesus says, “they loved darkness rather than light.”
Listen to the warning God gives to those who reject God’s goodness and loving call to repentance.
ROMANS 2:4-11
4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who "will render to each one according to his deeds": 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.
Here are some bible verses regarding corrupted consciences:
1 TIMOTHY 4:1-2
“1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,”
TITUS 1:15-16
15 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 [dirty]. 16 [The proof of a defiled conscience] They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
When consciences go bad, “everyone will do what is right in their own eyes” and that’s why we see so much madness today. JUDGES 17:6 says, “6 In those days there was no king [No conscience in our day] in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
When false teachers (wolves) and hard headed sheep accused the Apostle Paul of wrongdoing, he would always appeal to his conscience, his internal and personal judge.
1 TIMOTHY 1:3
I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,
When we honestly have a pure conscience before God, it doesn’t matter what anyone says against us. Our Judge in heaven (through His written Word) and our little judge in our heads either accuse us or excuses us.
Lastly, how can we cultivate a healthy conscience? The best way to develop a sensitive, tender, quick and healthy conscience is to fill your heart and head with God’s Word. This way the HS has something to work with. But stay away from God’s Word and prayer and your conscience is going to either take a nap or go dormant (become inactive). And this is when Christians fall hard.
In closing: Humanity has been given the great light of conscience and because of that, humanity is without excuse at the Great White Throne Judgement of God. I’m extremely grateful for a healthy conscience.
I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,
When we honestly have a pure conscience before God, it doesn’t matter what anyone says against us. Our Judge in heaven (through His written Word) and our little judge in our heads either accuse us or excuses us.
Lastly, how can we cultivate a healthy conscience? The best way to develop a sensitive, tender, quick and healthy conscience is to fill your heart and head with God’s Word. This way the HS has something to work with. But stay away from God’s Word and prayer and your conscience is going to either take a nap or go dormant (become inactive). And this is when Christians fall hard.
In closing: Humanity has been given the great light of conscience and because of that, humanity is without excuse at the Great White Throne Judgement of God. I’m extremely grateful for a healthy conscience.
The next Great Light (3rd of 5) in our series is: 3. THE LIGHT OF CONDEMNATION.
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