 The title of our sermon this morning is the Boast of Bold Faith, the Boast of Bold Faith. We're in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 and we're looking at this short paragraph from verses 12 through 14. As we've been working verse by verse now through 2 Corinthians chapter 1 to this point, we've been considering the letters context and we've been considering the letters background in order to gain a more thorough understanding of Paul's heart and mind as he writes this to the church and by implication as he writes to our church, savage wolves have come in among the church at Corinth, not sparing the flock. False teachers, false apostles have risen up from among them and they are drawing away disciples after themselves. They're speaking perverse things as Paul would say. They're spreading lies among the people. Paul would say they're preaching a different Jesus, they're preaching a different spirit, they're preaching a different gospel. Paul is deeply concerned that these dear people in Corinth, his brothers and sisters, are going to be led away. This is no academic exercise that we're involved in. The preaching of God's word is not a mere intellectual exercise. You're not saved by mere intellectual ascent. This is life and death in Corinth. Listen, it's life and death to you and I this morning that we believe the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we put our faith in him because your soul, my soul, our souls are at stake. Your eternity hangs in the balance. What will you do about your sin? What will you do about the Lord Jesus Christ? Paul would tell them in chapter 11 verse 2, listen Paul says, I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy for I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. Paul acknowledges to them he says I fear though less somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we've not preached or if you've received a different spirit which you've not received or a different gospel which you've not accepted you may well put up with it Paul says. One reason, one reason they may well put up with it is because the serpent is crafty and like Eve they seem easily deceived. They think they're wise in Corinth and yet they lack discernment. They need to cling to the word preached through Paul. They need to desperately grow in Christ and yet they're torn. They're pulled away by false doctrine, pulled away by every wind of doctrine, pulled away by meaningless disputes and Paul would exhort them be careful not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. We all need to learn. We're all here to learn. Listen you are here to learn. I'm here to learn. We need wisdom from above. We need discernment. We need to be taught. We need the word of God. Amen. But another reason here in 2 Corinthians chapter one that they're easily tempted by the lies of these serpents in Corinth it's because of all the accusations that are flying around about Paul. These accusations against Paul are having an impact, an impact on their heart, on their mind and their trust in Paul is waning. The false teachers in Corinth have launched a multi-front offensive against the apostle Paul. They are undermining him at every turn. Open season is there and the bullets are flying. Paul's physical presence they say is weak. His letters are harsh. They say Paul's speech is contemptible. He's manipulating you. Paul is rude. Paul's embezzling fronts from the offering. Paul's skimming off the top. He suffers too much to have a ministry that's approved by God. So Paul can't be a genuine apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. So don't trust Paul they would say trust us, believe us, follow us. And this attack, this assault on Paul's character, on Paul's authority as an apostle is compelling to many at the church in Corinth and they're being swayed by it. They're beginning to doubt Paul. They don't trust him the way they once trusted him. They're starting to question Paul. One false accusation in Corinth that appears to be getting considerable traction, causes particular difficulty for the apostle Paul, is related to Paul's travel plans of all things. Paul was accused of being duplicitous or dishonest regarding his plans to visit Corinth. And for that we can see a record of Paul's plans, Paul's intentions in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse one. Look at the page facing, page that you're on right now. 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and look at verse one. Verse one through nine here, outline Paul's plans to visit Corinth again. This is what he says in verse one. Now concerning the collection for the saints. As I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also. On the first day of the week Paul says, let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. Now Paul plans to visit them and he plans to collect from them an offering to take to the impoverished saints in Jerusalem. They're going to give an offering to those saints in Jerusalem. Verse three. And when I come Paul says, whomever you approve by your letters, I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. But if it's fitting that I go also, they will go with me. Paul says if it's fitting. So in other words, this is going to be determined later. Verse five. I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia. For I'm passing through Macedonia. And it, notice what he says here. He may be that I'll remain or even spend the winter with you. You may send me on my journey wherever I go. For I do not wish to see you now on the way. Paul had planned on being in Jerusalem for Pentecost. He didn't want to make a passing swipe through Achaia and just visit them temporarily. Paul wanted to stay, right? So he says in verse seven, for I do not wish to see you now on the way, but I hope they a while with you. That was Paul's hope. And he says, look at verse seven, if the Lord permits verse eight, but I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost for a great and effective door has been opened to me and there are many adversaries. Now Paul's plans here, right? His words are entirely reasonable, aren't they? There's nothing unreasonable about what Paul has said. Paul is careful to communicate that all of this, all of these plans, all of his intentions are contingent on the Lord's plans. If the Lord permits, a man may plan his way, right? But the Lord directs his steps, amen? Now from verses 10 and 11, look at 10 and 11. We know that Paul has already sent Timothy to check on them. Paul got a bad report from the church at Corinth. Paul is concerned about what's going on there. And so Paul sends Timothy to find out what's happening to report back. Now Paul's waiting to see Timothy again with news of how they're doing. He's anxious to hear. When Paul finally does see Timothy, the news is not good. The news in Corinth is not good. There is a full-scale revolt underway. And so Paul, understanding the circumstances on the ground in Corinth, decides to leave for Corinth immediately. He must, right? He's got to go take care of this problem that's taking place in Corinth. Plans change. Divine providence dictates what Paul must do. And so Paul immediately makes what he refers to in 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 1. He immediately makes a sorrowful or a painful visit. He follows that visit up with a very sorrowful or severe letter that's referenced in chapter 2 verse 4. It's referenced in chapter 7 verse 8. And when Paul changes his plans, so to speak, when Paul immediately goes and then he follows that visit up with a severe letter, the false prophets, the false apostles, the false teachers in Corinth have themselves a field day with Paul's change of plans. They essentially say, now listen, now do you see what we're talking about? Do you see what we're talking about with the apostle Paul? This guy says one thing and he does another. Look how double-minded he is. He's unstable. He's duplicitous. He can't take him at his word. He claims to be following God's direction and he can't even keep his word about his travel plans. He shows up and he's this weeping, weakling among you and then when he writes to you, he's harsh and he's severe in his letters, this guy's not been appointed by God. You need to drop Paul like a bad habit and follow us. You see? Trust us, believe us. Now this accusation, we're not in this context. It may sound foreign or strange to our ears to hear it, but this accusation was compelling in Corinth. There are many at the church in Corinth that were persuaded by this accusation. Now add that accusation to the rest and many in Corinth begin to question Paul's credibility. They question Paul's apostolic authority. When they question his authority, when they begin to question Paul's leadership, they begin to doubt what Paul says and what Paul says is of paramount importance, right? We're talking about apostolic instruction. Paul wrote this book of the Bible. What Paul is teaching, what Paul is preaching has life and death implications and they're beginning to doubt Paul's word. This is a recipe in Corinth for spiritual disaster. Paul is essentially forced in light of this for the sake of their souls, right? For the sake of the gospel, Paul is essentially forced to defend himself. That's what he takes up, this defense of his apostolic ministry. He takes up in 2 Corinthians. Now we know, we know considering these things, right? This is a spiritual war. We don't fight against flesh and blood, do we? We fight against principalities and powers, against the rulers, the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. This is a war against the Lord's church and it's not a physical warfare. It's a spiritual warfare. It's a war for the souls of these people. It's not a matter of disagreement. It's not a matter of personal preference. It's not a matter of quote unquote Christian liberty. It's a matter of the gospel and it's not a matter of their soul. It's a matter of their eternity, where they go and they die. And Paul can sense that he's losing influence with them for the sake of their soul, losing influence with them with the teaching of the gospel, with an accurate gospel, with faithful sound doctrine. Paul's apostolic authority has taken a severe hit. He's been undermined in the Corinth and many, many in Corinth have already made shipwreck of their soul following after false teachers. They've made shipwreck of their faith. Many more now are beginning to doubt. They're tempted to forsake true faith for a damning counterfeit. So Paul, for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of their soul, for the sake of his ministry among them, Paul must defend himself. Incidentally, this kind of betrayal is really painful. This kind of betrayal is hurtful. These people in Corinth understand these people weren't strangers to Paul. He knew them. He served among them. He loved them. He poured himself out for them. And they knew him. They knew him. They ate together, fellowship together, served together, loved one another. They were burying one another's burdens. They prayed together. They evangelized together. They worshiped together. They sang together. They rejoiced together. They wept together. They preached the gospel together. They knew one another. And Paul agonized over them. He poured himself out for them. In difficult circumstances, at the words of divisive hypocrites, they dropped Paul. And they treat him with suspicion. They dropped Paul. And they treat him as an enemy. And not just one or two. Not just one or two. Others deciding to follow suit. They begin to parrot the talking points of these false teachers, these divisive serpents in Corinth. All those that leave, they begin to parrot the talking points of those that left before them. In Corinth that is opposed tooth and nail against Paul. That's one thing. It's one thing, right? If a stranger falsely accuses you like that. It's another thing altogether when those close to you do it. When they betray you in that way. When those within your own camp, so to speak, act and react in such ungodly, in such godless ways. Now, if you're a Christian, if you're a Christian, then it is clear from the Bible, crystal clear, that you have been called to a lifetime of Christian ministry. You are to pour yourself out as an offering on the sacrifice and service of another's faith. You're called to deal with sin in the church. You're called to deal with contention. You're called to deal with strife. You're called to deal with doctrinal error. Within the church, you are called to expose the unfruitful works of darkness. That's what you're called to. You're called to enter a holy warfare. Paul says to Timothy, wage the good warfare. You're called to pour yourself out in service to this lost world with the gospel. You're to preach the gospel. And you are called, you are called to that continuous effort. You're called to that continuous life. Now, when you do, when you do that, when you obey the Lord in faithfulness to that charge, you're going to face betrayal. You're going to face disappointments. You're going to face heartache. You're going to face unwarranted hostility, false accusations, all at the hands of someone who professes to love you back, once professed to love you, when you obey the Lord to exhort one another daily, when you obey the Lord and you go to that person in love with the Bible to lovingly reprove them, as Paul says to Timothy, lovingly correct them, or lovingly instruct them in righteousness, you will enter into what Paul describes as the sufferings of Christ was not a stranger to these heartbreaking circumstances. And neither are many of you, right? I want you to see this. I want you to see this. By God's grace, this is a church where the membership here are deeply involved in one another's lives. That's as it should be. But that comes at a cost, doesn't it? If you are, in some part, experienced with what I am talking about to some degree, lift up your hand. Look at that. You know if you've experienced that, you know what I'm talking about. You know what I'm talking about. And you face the aftermath of that. You're grieved by it, right? Heart broken over it. Maybe you've lost friends. You've lost loved ones. You've lost a family member. Lost many so-called brothers or sisters. You may feel as though you've done something wrong. You may feel like a failure. Maybe you've become fearful of investing in someone like that again. Maybe you've become fearful or intimidated about taking a stand for Christ. Maybe you've become fearful about preaching the gospel. It's one of the primary reasons why professing Christians don't evangelize is fear. How do you get through that? How do you work through it without being embittered or jaded? How do you work through it? How are we to respond? Where is Paul's confidence coming from? How is it that he persists with joy and faith and hope and love despite all this? We're going to find out from our text today in 2 Corinthians 1-12-14. Paul here isn't certain about how things are going to turn out in Corinth. He doesn't know because he's not omniscient. God knows. So Paul is waiting in great anguish of heart, anguish of soul, anguish of mind for word to get back to him about how the believers in Corinth are doing. He's written them a very difficult letter, a hard letter, saying things that are had to be said. So how is it that Paul then has such steadfast confidence? How can Paul sleep at night comfortably, joyfully? How does he continue to serve in these difficult circumstances with all this in his face with hope and love and joy? What does Paul point to when Paul is falsely accused when he's being undermined, when he's being attacked and assaulted? What does Paul point to when he's being reviled? Where does he rest would submit to you from this passage? Paul rests in the boast of bold faith. 2 Corinthians chapter 1, look at verse 12 with me. For our boasting our boasting is this the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God and more abundantly toward you. For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. And now I trust you will understand even to the end that you also have understood us in part that we are your boast as you also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus. As we consider our text I want you to consider with me three ways three ways to cultivate the mature fruitful, steadfast persevering, god-glorifying Christ-exalting boast of a bold faith. You can find this outline in the note section of your worship folder. How are we to cultivate the boast of a bold faith? Three ways from our text. First, insist on a clear conscience. If you professed if the Lord Jesus Christ you've turned from your sin to put your faith and trust in him insist on living your life with a clear conscience. We're going to talk about what that looks like. Secondly, serve with godly character. Now just have godly character not merely pursue godly character but serve one another with godly character. Third, hope with a faith-filled confidence. You could say faithful confidence it is faithful, but a faith-filled confidence in the Lord. Insist on a clear conscience. Serve with godly character, hope with a faith-filled confidence. Conscience, character, and confidence. Point one, you must in your Christian life, you must insist on a clear conscience. Now Paul begins in verse 12 by appealing to the testimony of his conscience. Verse 12 says this, for our boasting is this, the testimony of our conscience. So when things get tough, when the accusations are flying, the heat is turning up on the oven. When the accuser of the brethren is shouting in Paul's ear, when Paul is being attacked, when Paul is being questioned, undermined, assaulted, Paul boasts in this the testimony of his clear conscience. A clear conscience was something extremely important to Paul. It needs to be extremely important to you and I, foundational to gospel ministry. We need to operate with a clear conscience. So important in fact that he refers to the necessity of a clear conscience multiple times in scripture. You'll find this in your New Testament. Near the end of his life, when Paul was arrested, he was brought before the Roman governor, Felix, to defend himself. Paul will eventually be put to death. He's on trial for his life. In Acts 24 verse 14, Paul said this, but this I confess to you, Felix, that according to the way, which is called a second, what Christianity was referred to at that time was the way, according to the way, which they call a second, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets, I have hope in God, Paul says, which they themselves also accept that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust. In Paul's mind, understanding that there will be a resurrection from the dead, a resurrection both of the just and of the unjust, Paul says this in verse 16, this being so, this being true, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men, because there's a resurrection coming, because the dead will be raised, some to everlasting life, others to everlasting contempt and everlasting shame, everlasting hellfire, Paul says, I always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and toward men. Turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 1, multiple times, Paul mentions the importance of a clear conscience, a conscience without offense toward God and men, and this is a life and death necessity, a life and death reality. 1 Timothy chapter 1, look at verse 5, Paul urges Timothy in verse 3 to buke false teachers in Ephesus, he charges Timothy to take a stand for sound doctrine and this commandment to Timothy in verse 3 has a purpose in verse 5, Paul says this, now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience and from sincere faith. A pure conscience, a good conscience goes hand in hand with a pure heart with a sincere faith and leads to love, love issues from genuine Christian love issues from a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith. He charges Timothy again, look down at verse 18, verse 18, this charge, verse 18, I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage warfare, having faith and a good conscience which some having rejected concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck. There's a couple of points from verse 18, right? Love issues from a good conscience, a clear conscience, a good conscience goes hand in hand with a pure heart and sincere faith, here if you don't have a good conscience you're going to make shipwreck of your faith. In order to wage the good warfare, you need faith and a good conscience. If you don't have faith and a good conscience you're going to get beaten up on the battlefield. You understand? You see? Look at 1 Timothy chapter 3. A good conscience is necessary to Christian love. Good conscience is necessary to a pure heart and sincere faith. Good conscience is necessary to waging the good warfare. Good conscience is necessary to protect yourself from making shipwreck of your faith. It's necessary to fighting the good fight. And in 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 8 it's the qualification of a deacon. Paul says verse 8 likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given a much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. And we understand, we went through that text a couple of years back. Those qualifications for deacon, or the qualifications there that we see in 1 Timothy chapter 3 for a pastor, are the marks of a genuine Christian. It's just the marks of a genuine Christian. Where to have a pure conscience? We hold the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. Look at 2 Timothy 2 Timothy chapter 1 chapter 1 look there at verse 3. And again just Paul's teaching in these pastoral epistles to his young son in the faith Timothy 2 Timothy chapter 1 look at verse 3 Paul says, 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 service to serve the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully requires a pure conscience. It's obvious it's obvious right from Scripture that a clear conscience, a clear conscience is exceedingly important. It's the duty of every Christian to strive to maintain a clear conscience before God and men. So what exactly is it? What exactly is it? Turn with me to Romans chapter 2. Romans chapter 2. What exactly is a clear conscience? How does our conscience work? How does it function? What does it do? Romans chapter 2 and look there with me at verse 14 our conscience our conscience God given warning system that serves us by assessing the morality or the immorality of our conduct, our thoughts, our words or our actions right? It's a warning system that serves us by assessing the morality or the immorality of our conduct, our words, our thoughts, our deeds our feelings One commentator stated the conscience is to our heart what pain sensors are to our body. In a good example the function of our conscience is found in Romans chapter 2 verse 14. Look at verse 14. Here when the Gentiles who do not have the law by nature do the things in the law these although not having a law are a law to themselves. They 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. So what God does right? Romans 2 14. God embosses on the heart of every man. He stamps on the heart of every man and woman an awareness of his standard an awareness of his holy and righteous standard for our conduct for our speech, for our thoughts, for our actions. With an awareness of our accountability before God and before God's righteous judgment Christian and non-Christian alike Jew and Gentile rich, poor, young, old everyone has a conscience. According to Romans 2 15 verse 15 there our conscience either accuses us or excuses us accuses you about what you're doing, what you're saying what you're thinking, what you're feeling tells you that what you're doing, saying, thinking, or feeling is wrong is sinful is offensive to God it goes against the standard that God has established and stamped on your heart or our conscience excuses us that what you're doing, thinking, saying, feeling, imagining is right that according to God's holy standard that he is embossed on your heart that's acceptable before God now, similar to the way in which our nervous system applies pain to the body to warn us that something is wrong the conscience applies the pain of guilt to our heart and it applies the pain of guilt to our heart to warn us that something's wrong something's wrong something you just said something you just did something you've thought this pattern in your life this way that you act this way that you conduct yourself that thought, that imagination that feeling is morally unacceptable for one created by God in the image of his creator that applied guilt is experienced by us as an accusing conscience a little stab of guilt in your heart, your mind when you have offended the standard of God for one created in the image of God it's experienced as guilt and that guilt before God think about this God created you to glorify him you were made you were formed, you were fashioned with the responsibility to glorify God in everything you say in everything you think in everything you do you were created to glorify him and that conscience that accusing conscience that stab of guilt at piercing pain is there to tell you you have offended the one who made you for his glory he made you for his so a guilty conscience is a cause for mourning a guilty conscience is a cause for weeping a guilty conscience should crush us under the weight of guilt do our sin it's an indication that we've offended the one who made us and that we will be held to account we're going to stand before God one day and give an account for every word every thought every single thing that you've ever done that stinking thinking that's marked your life for the past however long those stinking patterns that you've been involved in that sin that you just persist in if you're here today and you're not genuinely saved then you're rebelling against God rebelling against the one who's made you you're going to give an account for that rebellion every word it's a cause for mourning it's a cause for sorrow we are guilty before God on the other hand a clear conscience excuses you it's our defender when we are accused or the accuser of the brethren whispers accusations in our ear filled with innuendo and half truth right? or when some wicked or divisive person accuses you when you're under persecution you're under false accusation when the heat and the oven is turned up you're standing in the furnace our clear conscience excuses us doesn't it? it's our defender when that which we say or do is acceptable before God commendable to God speaking of this function of our conscience John Calvin said distinction between virtuous and vicious actions has been engraven by the Lord on the heart of every man as we think about our conscience although conscience is God given conscience is a human faculty it's a human faculty can't be explained by evolution unexplainable by science in that way it's a God given faculty but it's a human faculty and because it's a human faculty it's fallible our consciences are not infallible Paul warns us in 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 2 that some speak some people speak lies in hypocrisy having their own conscience seared rendered inoperable, desensitized rendered morally numb they have their own conscience seared as with a hot iron not conscience a conscience that is persistently and consistently violated will become seared it will cease to function cease to operate as it's supposed to you ignore your conscience so regularly that at some point you become okay with the sin and your conscience can excuse you in something that God condemns Paul tells Titus in chapter 1 verse 15 that to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure but even their mind and conscience are defiled a conscience a conscience that is regularly exposed to defilement will itself become defiled now listen it's not legalistic for me to stand here understanding what that's saying and say to you watch what goes through your eyeballs pay attention to what you allow through your ear gate through your eye gate watch what you think about what you spend your time doing what you put before your eyes someone would call that quote unquote Christian liberty listen if it's defiling your conscience it's not your liberty it is dangerous for you watch pay attention to what you are watching what you are doing what you are seeing what you are listening to the conscience can become defiled it becomes seared the conscience can be suppressed it's part and parcel of what Paul says in Romans chapter 1 that we suppress the truth in our unrighteousness you can suppress your own conscience the conscience can be drowned out how many of you as I would would acknowledge with a clear conscience before God there are times when you sin that in order to sin you have to turn off your conscience you have to unplug it so to speak listen I am not going to listen to that because I'm going to have my sin I'm going to have my cake and eat it over here and you have to silence your conscience but not only do fallen sinful human beings silence their conscience it can be drowned out you can spend time drowning out you drown it out with music you drown it out with entertainment you drown it out with drugs you drown it out with alcohol you drown it out with music games because of all this your conscience may not be the reliable judge that you need it to be if you're in this position if you're in this position if your conscience has become morally unresponsive with your lying morally unresponsive with your anger with your drunkenness with your pornography with your sexual immorality with your sins of omission I don't need to serve the Lord in this area I'm serving the Lord in this area over here if you're in this position if your conscience has become morally unresponsive you are playing around with hellfire think with me for a moment brother sister listen if you've become desensitized to conviction if you've become numb to the spirit's conviction of sin by consistently neglecting some particular duty of obedience you know what God says I'm just not going to do it whether it's submission to your husband maybe it's spiritual leadership at home maybe it's evangelism preaching the gospel maybe it's loving your brothers and sisters in this church intentionally maybe it's keeping your word young man, young woman maybe it's obedience to your parents maybe it's obedience to your parents if you've become desensitized to conviction of sin you are on a path to apostasy it's not flirting with a path you're on it get off of it repent of sin cry out to God my heart is corrupt my heart is numb I need you spirit of God to convict me of sin I don't want to play around with this you're playing around with hellfire it's imperative that we labor to maintain a good conscience we must make it our constant business let me give you three ways to do that let me give you three ways to do that one one way is this consistently and persistently inform your conscience inform your conscience conscience is not infallible conscience can be rendered inoperable or it doesn't function the way that it's supposed to function our consciences need to be informed God writes his law embosses his law on our hearts we have his law in his word as well we need to be informed from his word what he has revealed to us in his word and as you take in the word of God as you meditate on it as you hide it in your heart as you study it as you go over it you are informing your conscience your conscience in the power of the spirit by the grace of God functions more the way God intends for it to function you must inform your conscience secondly obey your conscience obey it stop violating it we've all done it stop violating your conscience when you know the God who created you has established this standard for conduct the standard for thought whatever it is he has established that for his glory for your good follow him in it trust him trust and obey for there's no other way obey your conscience stop violating your conscience however three the only means to a pure clear untarnished conscience is to have your conscience cleansed in the fountain that flows from Immanuel's veins sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains sinners plunged beneath that flood lose a guilty accusing conscience you go you go again and you go again and you go again in repentance and faith to the Lord that's the life of the Christian you go to our advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and you repent you keep short accounts with God when you sin repent and believe deal with your sin acknowledge your sin turn from your sin humble yourself before him trust him for his grace and his mercy part and parcel with genuine saving faith is a clear conscience they're of the same kind of fabric that when someone has put their faith in Jesus Christ to forgive them of all their sin that his atoning work applies to me then because he has forgiven me I can live my life in joy with a clear conscience because of what Christ has done because I've earned it no no you and I can't earn a clear conscience but Jesus Christ will give it to you you'll put your faith and trust in him trust him for his grace trust him for his mercy why live under the cloud of an accusing conscience when the Lord Jesus Christ holds out a free offer of grace to you listen believe on me Jesus says believe on me come to me you are weary and heavy laden under that conscience laden down by the weight of sin the guilt of sin that accusing conscience in your breast come to me the Lord Jesus Christ says take my yoke upon you learn from me right I'm humble I'm lowly you can have rest you can have rest for your soul what a glorious glorious fact what a glorious offer of grace what a glorious offer of mercy if you're here today and you've never trusted Christ you're not a Christian you know you're not listen you live you move you have your being so to speak under the weight of a severe condemnation that will end in eternal torment and you can be set free from that now today while you're sitting here turn from your sin trust Christ embrace his offer of grace and mercy believe him take him at his word trust him commit yourself now to following him into faith and you can be saved Hebrews chapter 9 verse 14 the spirit of God says how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God how much more shall it cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God be cleansed by the blood of Christ John Owen Owen said that nothing can give perfect peace to God but what can make atonement for sin you understand what he's saying nothing can give perfect peace of conscience with God except that which can make atonement for sin and whoever attempts it in any other way but by virtue of that atonement will never attain it it's impossible you can't have it apart from Christ in this world or in the hereafter that's where a clear conscience comes from that's something to boast about isn't it that boasting is not in you not anything that you've done you didn't do anything to get that you can't do anything to cleanse your own conscience you can't do anything to attain your own righteousness you can't do any of that who does that the Lord Jesus Christ and our boast our boast is in him and that is something to boast about you're going to boast boast in the Lord right that's what Paul means by his boasting back in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verse 12 his boast is not in himself his boast is in the Lord for our boasting is this the testimony of our conscience Paul's conscience is ultimately clear not by his own doing but by the work the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ so much more could be said right when you have a clear conscience before God then you can weather storms of false accusation you can weather persecution you can weather challenges to your faith you can walk confidently through them because of what Christ has done for you when someone challenges you you can take a stand for righteousness you can take a stand for Christ you can enter into the fray right what joy what a comfort it is when persecution comes when the accusations fly when the heats turned up what a comfort it is for you to be able to say earnestly before the Lord I have a clear conscience before God and mean it because of Christ the testimony of a clear conscience that's a reason for glorying that's what boasting is it's glorying in the Lord a clear conscience fuels a bold faith some of you here need to recover that don't persist don't persist with a guilty accusing conscience settle accounts with the Lord Jesus Christ repent of your sin and step into wage the holy warfare that he's called you to with a bold faith a clear conscience before God Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 23 the Lord says this let not the wise man glory in his wisdom let not the mighty man glory in his might nor let the rich man glory in his riches but let him who glories glory in this that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord exercising loving kindness judgment and righteousness in the earth for in these I delight says the Lord I was trying to think of a an illustration to help us with this a little bit and what kept coming to mind for me was Martin Luther and Martin Luther from Roland Bain's biography says this Luther said I greatly long to understand Paul's epistle to the Romans and nothing stood in the way but that one expression the justice of God because I took that phrase the justice of God to mean that justice whereby God is just and deals justly in punishing the unjust you see what Martin Luther was thinking right my situation was that although an impeccable monk I stood before God as a sinner troubled in my conscience and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him therefore I did not love a just and angry God but rather hated and murmured against him I clung to the dear apostle Paul and had a great yearning to know what he meant there at this point in time a accusing conscience you could have knocked Martin Luther over with a feather there's no bold faith here it was like Adam right in the garden hiding from God because of his sin because of fear because of fear Luther goes on night and day I pondered I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that the just shall live by his faith then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith there upon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise the whole of scripture took on new meaning and whereas before the justice of God had filled me with hate now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love and the passage of Paul this passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven our Luther often called a bull in a china shop for his where did that boldness come from Luther would later stand before a tribunal that had the power to exile him or execute him the prosecutor cried Luther do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contained and Luther replied since then your majesty and your lordship's desire a simple reply I will answer without horns and without teeth unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason right understand what he's saying unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason I do not accept the authority of popes and councils for they have contradicted each other my conscience is captive to the word of God I cannot I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe here I stand I cannot do otherwise God help me amen the righteous are as bold as a lion insist on a clear conscience point 2 on your notes serve with a godly character serve with a godly character for our boasting is this the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God and more abundantly toward you someone could easily boast of a clear conscience and be lying right with a clear conscience before God someone could boast of a clear conscience when their conscience has been seared by sin they wouldn't know what an accusing conscience feels like but a clear conscience a clear conscience isn't merely internal it's not merely subjective conviction that all is okay Paul says a genuinely clear conscience has a testimony our boasting is this the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God and more abundantly toward you Paul says that the foundation upon which his conscience rests as clear is the grace of God at work in his life producing within him and also outwardly evident to the Corinthians a pattern of godly character and godly conduct among them a clear conscience will go hand in hand with godly character and godly conduct you don't have a clear conscience you can't have a clear conscience when your conduct, when your character doesn't back it up do you see now he gives four characteristics in verse 12 of this godly character that godly character that produces godly conduct he says first that it's in simplicity we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity not simplistically right but with simplicity with simplicity of heart the word means single minded with a single intended purpose in other words no ulterior motive Paul is saying contra false apostles and accusers Paul is saying I'm not double minded I'm not hypocritical I'm not duplicitous Paul is saying I conducted myself without duplicity but with a single or a simple purpose towards you Colossians chapter 3 verse 22 obey in all things your masters according to the flesh not with eye service as men pleasers but in sincerity same word there simplicity in simplicity of heart fearing god so basically that word for simplicity means you what you see is what you get right you are on the outside what you are on the inside you are on the inside what you are on the outside you're the same person internally that you show yourself to be externally what you do you do from the heart as unto the lord right simplicity secondly second characteristic of the godly character that produces godly conduct is sincerity sincerity interesting word there it's aley cronea aley cronea a compound word from helios meaning son and crino meaning to judge heli helios crino literally means judged by the sun judged by the sun this word comes out of the pottery industry in paul's day when they would make pottery make fine pottery some pottery not so fine other pottery very fine and that pottery was judged by its quality you could buy a cheap clunky virtually worthless clay pot it's what we are called in chapter 4 right these earthen vessels essentially worthless often set aside for dishonorable use in the household you know what I'm talking about or you could buy fine expensive pottery made by an expert craftsman a beautiful piece of pottery that pottery was much thinner much more decorative because it was thinner it was more difficult to handle and sometimes when they put it into the kiln it would crack under the heat the pottery would get cracks in it now the presence of cracks would obviously reduce the value of the pottery and so what an unscrupulous craftsman might do what a dishonest craftsman might do he would take that vase that pot and he would fill the cracks with a wax to cover the cracks and he paint over it however if you held that piece of pottery up to the sun you could see the sun shine through the wax it filled the cracks and in that sense you were judging that pottery by the sun judged by the sun Ellie Cranea judged by the sun now expert craftsman in Paul's day began taking their wares if they were good at what they did and they eliminated those cracks and they didn't do it by filling the vase or the pot with wax they would mark their pottery with the term senocera senocera means without wax a latin term meaning without wax it's where we get our English word sincere without wax to be insincere is to have your character marred by cracks filled with dishonest wax to say one thing and to do another to say one thing to mean another to act in one way before the gaze of men or for the praise of men and to think another way in your heart in 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 and drop down to verse 17 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 verse 17 Paul says for we are not as so many peddling the word of God but as of sincerity in God we speak in the sight of God in Christ stamped senocera sincere your new king James ESV and ASB all appear to describe this as godly sincerity the greek is actually tooth-toe it means of God simplicity and sincerity of God is literally how it's worded there in other words the greek makes clear these characteristics the characteristic of godly simplicity and sincerity both are produced by God in the heart of the believer they are of God they find their source in God simplicity and sincerity he goes on to say 3 that this conduct the testimony of his conscience is not he did not conduct himself with fleshly wisdom fleshly wisdom this fleshly wisdom is best seen in a description given to us by James look at James chapter 3 Hebrews James Peter quickly somebody take the batteries out of that clock back there James chapter 3 verse 13 James says this we are going to get an indication of what fleshly wisdom looks like here who is wise in understanding among you we see him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom you see how character and conduct go together here they are inseparable verse 14 but if you have bitter envy and self seeking in your hearts do not boast and lie against the truth this wisdom does not descend from above but is earthly sensual and demonic for where envy and self seeking exist confusion and every evil thing are there but the wisdom that is from above is first pure that wisdom is then peaceable gentle, willing to yield full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace Paul said that he conducted himself with envy, bitter self seeking in his heart as he was accused of doing but with God's wisdom by the grace of God, not with fleshly wisdom fourth, simplicity, sincerity not with fleshly wisdom number four but in contrast to that by the grace of God contrasted with the natural inclinations of sinful men this character, Paul's conduct is produced by the grace of God do you profess to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? do you believe that you're a Christian and you must ask yourself, do I conduct myself in this way? is this representative of the way that I live the way that I conduct myself is a representative of my character are you the same inwardly but you show yourself to be outwardly Paul not only conducted himself this way Paul served his brothers and sisters in this way Paul connected the importance of a clear conscience the importance of godly character and the importance of godly conduct with his service to the Corinthians in the Corinthian church he maintained that he labored for it on their behalf so that he could serve them glorifying God certainly loving his brothers and sisters in Corinth could you be marked by sin of Sarah could they stamp that on you or what are you pretending to fill your cracks with are you duplicitous are you double minded are you unstable you live one life outwardly while inside you're full of dead men's bones angel to the world the devil at home is the Holy Spirit convicting you with this are you still in the bonds of your iniquity is your conscience accusing you go to the Lord the Lord is slow to anger he is rich in mercy he delights in forgiving wretched sinners who repent and believe in him keepers nine how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God how much more will that blood cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God you can't get there by moral reform just by cleaning yourself up you can't do it this is a gift of God it is by the grace of almighty God turn to Christ trust him live for the living insist on a clear conscience serve with godly character hope with a faith filled confidence back in second Corinthians one Paul says we're not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand now I trust you will understand even to the end as also you have understood us in part that we are your boast as you also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus Paul assures the Corinthians that what he's writing to them is not filled with innuendo he's not trying to deceive them not trying to manipulate them it's not filled with hidden meaning what he's writing they can understand they've read it they get it and he writes with a bold hope of faith filled confidence that all those in Corinth even those who've been persuaded by his accusers that all those in Corinth will in the end come to understand him understand the gospel that he's preaching understand his ministry among them and then even Paul says even as I boast in you you're my boast Paul pours himself out in ministry and those that will be in heaven with Paul are Paul's boast in the Lord right look at what the Lord has done through the ministry of a clay pot like me they're his boast in the Lord and even as much as Paul will boast in the Lord of them in that day they'll boast of him and they'll say look at what the Lord did through Paul in our day look at what the Lord did through Paul's ministry the lives of these dear people in Corinth the work done by God through Paul for the glory of God for their eternal salvation that makes it all worthwhile and Paul's heart and mind that's his boast his faith filled confidence all the accusations all the strife all the contention all the heartache all the difficulty all the suffering all the persecution all of that all the tribulation if he end is a momentary light affliction do you see is of what God does through the Lord Jesus Christ through the ministry of Paul through the love of those brothers and sisters through that church the preaching of the gospel through serving one another Paul isn't seeking his approval for men here he seeks it from God through a clear conscience that applies in our church we need to follow Paul's example here strive to live a life with a clear conscience maintain that watch guard your godly character guard your godly conduct and hope in the Lord with a faith filled confidence and what the Lord is doing is good and glorious and will glorify him and will be our boast and glory in him follow Paul's example we have a ministry amen and to persevere in this ministry you need a clear conscience you need godly character you need godly conduct you need a hope filled faith faith filled hope we get that from the Lord Jesus Christ so trust him persevere in him amen amen let's pray and I want you to pray silently go before the Lord where is the Lord convicting you where do you need now to take action before the Lord to repent of sin to turn to him in faith and to clear your conscience in the blood of the Lamb what do you need to do now how can you serve with that kind of bold hearted faith that kind of bold confidence in the Lord what would the Lord expect of us as we serve one another in this church and serve this lost world with the gospel let's pray together and when you're done praying you are dismissed