A Good Conscience

A Good Conscience Pastor Greg Stansel Acts 22:30 - 23:11 October 23, 2022 Snap shot: We can live in good conscience before the Lord by always seeking to please Him. I. What is a good conscience? (22:30–23:1) II. Having a good conscience in suffering (23:2 cf. 1 Peter 3:13, 14) III. A good conscience grows in humility (23:3–5 cf. 1 Peter 3:15) IV. A good conscience presents the message of hope (23:6 cf. 1 Peter 3:15) V. A good conscience trusts the Lord (23:7–11 cf. 1 Peter 3:16, 17) Connect What do you think about when you hear the words, “a good conscience”? Study Point 1: What is a good conscience? (22:30–23:1) READ Titus 1:15-16; Hebrews 9:1-14 1) What does Titus teach us of the conscience and how it affects the mind and actions? What does Hebrews 9 teach about the conscience and sacrifices? What shortcoming do the sacrifices of the Old Testament have in changing the conscience? How does Jesus do more than the Old Testament sacrifices? 2) The Lexham Survey of Theology defines the conscience as “an aspect of human nature in God’s image, is a gift from God that, when working properly, tells people their obligation to God, accusing them when they do wrong and excusing them when they wrongly feel guilty.” How can you align that definition with Paul’s statement “I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day”? How does the work of Jesus (see Hebrews 9) help our conscience “work properly”? What does it mean for a conscience to “work properly”? Point 2: Having a good conscience in suffering (23:2 cf. 1 Peter 3:13, 14) READ 1 Peter 3:8-17 3) How does Peter say the believers (take note that Peter is writing to the church that is suffering because of their belief in Jesus) are to be living? Can suffering come when we are living as Peter outlines in 3:8-12? How does the description of the believer in 3:8-12 help us to understand suffering with a good conscience? 4) In the midst of suffering, how can we continue moving forward with a good conscience? What are some practical things we can do if we are suffering for righteousness sake? What does Peter mean by “those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame”? Point 3: A good conscience grows in humility (23:3–5 cf. 1 Peter 3:15) READ Matthew 6:9-13 5) How does praying the Lord’s Prayer humble us? How does applying the Lord’s Prayer develop a good conscience? 6) Discuss how you can use the Lord’s Prayer in your daily life to remain humble and live according to the Lord’s direction, ensuring that you have a good conscience in all that you do. Point 4: A good conscience presents the message of hope (23:6 cf. 1 Peter 3:15) READ Romans 1:16, 17 7) Why is Paul not ashamed of the gospel? Do you think he ever apologized for sharing this good news with anyone? Why or why not? 8) What are some reasons we may feel ashamed to share the gospel? How does this passage and the sermon passage help ease the conscience when it comes to sharing the gospel? Point 5: A good conscience trusts the Lord (23:7–11 cf. 1 Peter 3:16, 17) READ 1 Peter 3:13-17 9) Take a look at 3:14 and 3:17. If you are suffering for righteousness sake, how could that suffering come against your conscience? How does trusting the Lord help you move forward with a good conscience? How can you trust that it is God’s will for you to suffer? 10) How can you practically develop your trust in the Lord so that you can say with Paul, “I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day”? Pray the passage Lord God Almighty, you alone are perfect and worthy of all honor and praise. We exalt you Jesus as the perfecter of our faith and confess that apart from you we can do nothing. We ask that you forgive us for the times we cannot say we have lived in good conscience. Forgive us for the times we have fired off in anger. Forgive us for not respecting the leaders placed over us. We ask, Lord, that you would purify our conscience by the blood of Jesus. Make us sensitive to that which you are calling us, so that we live to please you and not ourselves or others around us. Give us courage to live for you Jesus, in your precious name we pray. Amen. Memorize & Meditate “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day” (Acts 23:1b). Preparing for next week Read: Acts 23:12 – 24:27 Ask: questions of the text. Pray: through text, for Pastor as he prepares, for your heart to hear, for the congregation to hear, for all of us to be obedient.