Introduction

• Personal remarks

  • David is starting his 17th year preaching at Benchley. He started on June 1, 2003.

• Hebrews 9:14

• Hebrews 10:19-23

Three things I need to do with my conscience:

• Train it.

  • Acts 7:58-8:3

  • Acts 26:9 – Paul thought he was serving God in persecuting Christians!

  • Acts 23:1

  • Our conscience is a valuable tool, but it is not an authority on its own. It must be trained.

  • Galatians 1:11-12

  • Acts 20:26-27, 31 – Paul had trained his conscience between Acts 7 and Acts 20.

• Use it.

  • Acts 2:36-37 – The people’s conscience kicked in and demanded action!

  • I Peter 3:21 – In baptism, we appeal to God for a clean conscience.

  • Matthew 21:28-32 – I should use my conscience to spur me in the right direction.

  • Luke 22:61-62 – Peter felt guilty but was spurred on to better service.

  • Matthew 27:3-5 – Judas failed to effectively use his conscience.

• Protect it.

  • Jeremiah 6:13-15; Ephesians 4:19 – We can’t become callous to sin!

  • I Timothy 1:5

  • Titus 1:14, 15 – Beware of false teaching that can train your conscience incorrectly.

  • We can’t stay away from all sin because we must live in a sinful world, but we must not take pleasure in sin.

  • Hebrews 13:18

  • I Peter 3:16

Introduction

• Citizens of the kingdom

  • Matthew 5:19-20; 6:33; 7:21

• Matthew 5:1 – Jesus goes up on the mountain. Thus, the sermon on the mount.

  • Matthew 8:1 – Jesus descends.

Citizens of the kingdom are to be …

• Genuine

  • Matthew 5:3-10

  • Jesus is getting us to look at the inner person.

  • Matthew 5:27-28

• Negative (toward sin)

  • 27 times in this sermon Jesus tells us how not to behave.

  • Matthew 5:20

  • Matthew 6:16-18 – Don’t fast to be seen of others.

  • Matthew 6:24

  • Matthew 7:26-27 – The sin of inaction.

  • Matthew 7:13-14 – This is the greatest tragedy of the universe.

  • Matthew 7:21-23

• Spiritual

  • Matthew 5:38-48 – We must love even our enemies and be mature and complete.

  • We must let go of how we think things should be on earth. Eternity will be perfect!

  • Matthew 6:19-21

  • Matthew 6:25-34

  • Matthew 7:28-29

Personal introduction:

• Jesse Jenkins started work with the Benchley church of Christ May 15, 1996. This year marks his 25th year of work with the congregation.

Psalm 84:10 – “I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God …”

• Can we sincerely make this statement?

To sincerely and objectively make this statement demands at least four things:

• Knowledge

  • Isaiah 2:2-4

  • Ephesians 3:15 – House of God = family of God

  • I Timothy 3:14-15

  • Matthew 16:18

  • Acts 20:28

  • You must have knowledge of the house of God to distinguish from the tents of wickedness.

• Discernment

  • Hebrews 5:12-14

  • As we grow year by year, we should be applying what we learn from our studies and growing in discernment.

• A positive choice

  • One can know what is right and choose to do wrong.

  • We won’t be judged on the sins we don’t commit, but on the ones we do commit. We must make a positive choice to serve God.

  • Matthew 23:11

  • Philippians 2:4

• Humility

  • II Kings 5 – Naaman wanted Elisha to do some great thing to cure him.

  • Many of us don’t have the ability to do great things, but we can be doorkeepers in the house of God.

  • I Peter 5:5-6

  • John 13 – Jesus taught us a lesson in washing the disciples’ feet.

Is it worth it?

• Psalms 84:11 – Yes, it’s worth it!

Emotion itself is not wrong.

• Jesus displayed strong emotions: John 7; John 2; Luke 22:44; Mark 3:4-5

Problems with emotions

• Emotions can be based on error.

  • I Kings 18:28-29 – The people showed great emotion about Baal.

  • Sincerely felt emotion does not equal truth.

• Emotions can lead to sin.

  • Acts 19:23-32 – The crowd riots because of the truth Paul taught.

Emotions should be the effect, not the cause.

• Acts 2:36-37, 46-47 – The people were pierced to the heart. This was the effect of God’s word. This was an appropriate reaction! Hebrews 4:12

• Acts 8:39 – The eunuch rejoiced because of God’s word.

• Acts 16:34 – He rejoiced after being baptized.

• These people were not convicted and converted because of emotion. They were convicted by methodical teaching and emotion followed.

• Romans 10:2

We might grow cold and heartless, which is the other sinful extreme.

• John 4:23-24

• Psalms 119:120 – Reverence for the Creator

• Luke 15:20

• I Thessalonians 4:18

• I Peter 1:22

• Titus 2:14

• Psalms 119:7 – Gratitude for truth

• Psalms 119:53

• Philippians 4:4 – Happiness in general

Jude 1:24-25

God had a plan from the beginning to heal the blotch of sin upon man.

God’s great love for fallen man is seen in:

• The longsuffering of God for man (II Peter 3:9)

  • Genesis 3:15 – God’s promise to heal man from sin.

  • Genesis 19 – Lot and his daughters were saved when Sodom was destroyed.

  • Jonah – God called Ninevah to repent and they were saved.

  • Deuteronomy 32:15 – Israel got prosperous and rebelled against God.

    • Historically, God’s people have not been able to handle prosperity. That is a solemn warning to us.

    • Proverbs 30:8-9.

• The provisions for man’s salvation

  • I John 4:10 – See Isaiah 52:14. Jesus’ body was marred “beyond human semblance.” That demonstrates the depth of God’s love for us.

    • “The death of Christ was born of the womb of God’s love.”

  • Galatians 3:27

  • Ephesians 5:24-25

  • I Corinthians 6:18-19

  • John 17:21 – We have the great blessing of fellowship with other Christians – the greatest people on earth.

• The hope with which He endowed us.

  • II Thessalonians 2:9

  • II Corinthians 5:17

  • Ephesians 3:10

Conclusion

• Luke 9:23

• Philippians 3:14