• The way God guides us is through our conscience - His inner voice.

• Two types of consciences:

• 1) National - this is the culture of a nation.

• America is only nation codified as “under God.”

• This means we are thankful and accountable to God.

• If we’re not thankful we’re not accountable (Thanksgiving).

• Dec of Ind - “We hold these truths to be self evident…”

• 2) Personal - this is the culture of your life.

• Paul used the word “conscience” twice in Acts and 21 times in his letters.

• DEFINITION - “to know WITH, to know TOGETHER.”

• This points to someone outside of us who we agree WITH (God).

• ex: Fox & Friends interview - “agree with the Judge.”

• Wiersbe - “Conscience is the inner judge or witness that approves when we do right and disapproves when we do wrong.”

• Conscience doesn’t “set” the standard; it “applies” it - whether good or bad, right or wrong.

• A thief’s conscience would bother him if he told the truth about his fellow thieves.

• An honest man’s conscience would bother him if he lied about his friends.

• ANALOGY - Conscience is like a window that let’s in light.

• God’s law is light - the cleaner the window is the more the light shines in.

• The dirtier the window the darker the soul.

• Three types of consciences:

• 1) Healthy conscience (Acts 24:16) - God’s light comes in and we’re convicted when we do wrong and encouraged when we do right.

• Clean - we have no known sin in our life.

• Dirty - we've sinned in some way.

• You have to “strive” to have a clean conscience.

• How? By cleaning the window (repentance) and letting the light in (time with God).

• Repentance is the Windex of the soul!!

• Our convictions should INCREASE the closer we get to God - it’s a sign of spiritual growth.

• ** Clean conscience leads to courage / dirty conscience leads to cowardice.

• 2) Unhealthy conscience (calloused) - it’s been sinned against so much that it’s no longer dependable - you become numb - you don’t feel bad or good.

• If you continue to sin against your conscience when you have knowledge of the truth it will lead to an evil conscience.

• 3) Evil conscience (1 Timothy 4:1-2 NIV) - You surrender to sin as a lifestyle.

• You’re convicted if you do what’s right rather than what’s wrong.

• This is the “depraved mind” Paul talks about in Romans 1.

* They told Paul “through the Spirit” not to go to Jerusalem.

* They saw accurately, but their interpretation was off.

* The Holy Spirit told Paul to go to Jerusalem, now “through the Spirit” they told him not to.

* They mixed their own understanding into their prophetic word of knowledge.

* When they mixed God’s Word with their own understanding they gave the wrong word to Paul.

* They should have given the word but held back on the interpretation.

* Paul shows how to do it right in 1 Cor 7:25 - “Now about virgins I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.”

* You know very clearly he’s speaking on his own here.

* These people received Paul and Silas’s words with great “readiness” (eagerness).

* They searched the Scriptures “daily.”

* This verse shows us two components of spiritual growth:

* 1) Posture - be “ready” to hear God’s voice speak to you.

* When you read the Bible how do you read it?

* When the pastor is preaching how do you hear it?

* When you do anything, if you’re in a position of readiness you will find God.

* Being “ready” is “looking and listening for God in all things.”

* Ask God to speak and then be ready to hear Him.

* 2) Program - read the Bible daily. Be diligent to “study.”

* When you do “be ready” to hear Him - don’t just make it a routine.

* Acts 21:13 - “I AM READY”

* Our government is based on three branches:

* 1) Legislative - makes the laws (congress).

* 2) Judicial - interprets the laws (court system).

* 3) Executive - the CEO (President).

* Today the Judicial has been used to “make” law, but this isn’t how it was intended to be used.

* Two ways to see the Constitution:

* 1) It can change with time depending on what culture wants - this is BAD.

* 2) It cannot change and we need to read it in it’s original intent - this is GOOD.

* The new judge Trump has nominated, Brett Kavanaugh, believes that the Constitution cannot change.

* 2 Timothy 3:15-17 - the Bible is our foundation.

* Asaph was talking with the Lord about how the wicked seem to prosper while others have nothing.

* He almost slipped into a carnal mindset of envy (vs 2).

* But he ended up winning the battle. HOW?

* vs 17 - “Until I came into the sanctuary of God.”

* In the OT the temple represented God’s presence.

* In the NT we have the Holy Spirit inside of us.

* When Asaph got into the presence of God his frustration ceased and he could see the error of his ways.

* He was able to see how the wicked would end up - this was an eternal mindset.

* When we get “in the spirit” we will see as Jesus sees, which will lead us to feel as He feels.

* Nehemiah wrote this book, so the way he listed the workers is important.

* He was considered “the boss.”

* So when the boss documented the details of the work what did he say?

* He gave a list of what everyone did, and nothing else.

* However, for Baruch son of Zabbai, Nehemiah described HOW he did his work.

* He did it “zealously.”

* Baruch had done such a good job that he stood out to the boss.

* He did his work without complaint and with his whole heart.

* 2,500 years later we still hear of how he did his job!

* Let’s be like Baruch today in our work.

* vs 25—34 - Paul and Silas were set free.

* God had granted them freedom.

* But how did they respond?

* They stayed put.

* If they would have ran out then the jailer would have lost his life.

* vs 35-36 - The next day they were set free by the civil authorities.

* God worked it out so they could be set free and the jailer would keep his life.

* ** The result was the jailer and his family experienced spiritual freedom because Paul and Silas didn’t act in their physical freedom.

* ex: story of pastor at Catalyst Conference.

* He talked about his love for a particular wine and how he had a case at home.

* I thought about how there may have been a few people in the audience who struggled with alcohol.

* This pastor’s words could rob them of their freedom over drinking because he’s acting in his freedom to indulge in it.

* Consider others before you act in your freedom.

* Lots of people were getting saved as Paul and Barnabas spoke God’s word.

* There was intense opposition.

* They could have ran, but they stayed and spoke BOLDLY for the Lord.

* They continued to bring God’s truth into the mix, even though they knew it would cost them dearly.

* Notice what followed their boldness:

* Boldness preceded the miraculous!

* Authority follows responsibility - when these men stayed in their place of responsibility God gave them authority to do miracles.

* Here’s the path to the miraculous:

* 1) Responsibility - stay wherever God has placed you and say what’s He’s told you.

* 2) Authority - you can walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

* 3) Boldness - stand boldly for the Lord in the midst of the battle. (like Jonathon, David, Eleazar)

* ** Alexander the Great - “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep - I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”

* 4) Miraculous - watch what God does in your life and in the lives of those around you.

* David prayed this prayer over his son Solomon.

* Look at how God answered these prayers:

* vs 10A - check out 1 Kings 10:22 - his ships from Tarshish brought him gold.

* vs 10B - check out 1 Kings 10:1-2 - the Queen brought him gifts.

* vs 15 - check out 1 Kings 10:10 - the Queen brought him gold.

* God answers prayers.

* vs 5-6 - Amaziah, king of Judah, wanted to build up his military - a good plan from his perspective, but not’s God’s.

* vs 7 - A prophet gave him a great principle - don’t partner with someone who isn’t of the same spirit as you.

* Amaziah needed to trust God, not someone else - he was looking to man for help, not God.

* vs 8 - He had the choice, but if he disobeyed he would be destroyed.

* vs 9A - But what about the $600,000 he spent on troops (which was a massive amount back then)?

* vs 9B - He needed to trust God to replenish his coffers.

* vs 10 - Amaziah obeyed even though he was hated for it.

* He focused on God, not man.

* vs vs 11-12 - he didn’t need the Israelites - God helped him.

* ** The story doesn’t end well….

* vs 13 - this is how Amazaiah was repaid.

* ** I believe this was a test - he obeyed but then fell right back when poop hit the fan.

* vs 14 - he forgot God when he was successful.