Well, we just looked at 1 Peter 3:13 through 17, but I want to look at just one phrase of one verse, I think it's so important. It is about values right here, right now. If I would watch the video of your last six weeks, I know that's scary to think about, what would I conclude are the values that orient you, that motivate you, that stimulate the way that you live? I love this phrase, here in 1 Peter 3:16, "having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may put to shame."
"Having a good conscience before God;" do you care about having a good conscience before God? A good conscience in my marriage, a good conscience in my parenting, a good conscience in my friendship, a good conscience in my responses to my neighbors, a good conscience in the way that I use my physical resources, my money, a good conscience in the way I approach my sexuality, a good conscience with regard to everything in my life? It's more important to me than human acceptance and respect. It's more important to me than my definition of comfort and pleasure. It's more valuable to me than power and control. It's a greater treasure to me than money and success. It's better than winning arguments or having my way.
You see, this is a call to run away from the idols that grip our hearts. Listen, you are only free of idolatry when your Lord owns your heart! And there's going to be idol temptations around us continually until we're on the other side. And so, I'm an alien and a sojourner because what animates me more than anything else is I want a heart that's right before God. I treasure that, I pray for that, I cry out for that, I weep when that's not the case. I'm broken when I've sinned again, and I immediately want to make horizontal and vertical confession because I want a clear conscience before the Lord. Do you care?
If you take anything from internet pornography, to nastiness in a marriage, to material greed, all of those can't live in our lives when we are living with the highest value being a clear conscience before our Lord.
Good conscience living means I'm aware of a watching world. Good conscience living means I'm aware of God's will and God's honor. Good conscience living is a call to higher agenda living- I'm living for the glory of God. And I'm saying, "No!" to all those other glories that could rule my heart. I find, personally, this phrase deeply convicting because there are moments when I'm having the third piece of chocolate cake that I don't actually need. I don't care about a good conscience before God, all I want is my pleasure. Or, when I'm having an argument with someone just because I want to be right, I don't care about a good conscience before God; all I want is my pleasure. May God help us. And in this culture where we find joy in taking the person down on Twitter, or we get our identity out of how many followers we have on Instagram, how important is it to hear this call. May we value, may we treasure a good conscience before God!
