Title: Resurrection of Conscience/Mark 6:14-29
Once dead, humans cannot be resurrected until Jesus returns. However, Herod Antipas, who had John the Baptist beheaded, heard about the ministry of Jesus at that time and said that Jesus was the resurrection of John the Baptist. Herod was afraid of John the Baptist, who accused him of having taken Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, and was living with him. The sinful Herod is speaking nonsense before the voice of conscience.
I. The role of Conscience
'Conscience' (συνε δησι shin adesis) is a compound word of συν (together, together) +ο δα (to know), which means 'to know together through conscience'. It is knowing good and evil and knowing emotionally. If you leave your conscience, you will also depart from true faith. A good conscience (1 Tim. 1:5) and a clean conscience (2 Tim. 1:3) bring faith. Conscience is not God's voice, but it is like a command to obey God's Word. The conscience that has been burned with fire (1 Tim. 4:2) and the conscience that has been polluted (Titus 6:15) is rebuked by the Holy Spirit through the regenerated conscience. And He gives you faith. (John 16:8) Adam and Eve immediately remembered the words of God saying, 'Do not eat,' as their consciences were turned on by Satan's temptation, but they fell into temptation. When Potiphar's wife was tempted, Joseph heard the warning of his conscience and overcame the temptation, saying, “How can I do this great evil before God?” When the light of conscience shone on Pilate, he said that he found no sin in Christ. He who obeys his conscience lives with joy. Otherwise, you will live a life of anxiety, fear, and misery.
II. The judgment of punishment of Conscience
The conscience instructs us, guides us, and warns us. But when we reject its voice, it becomes the judge. The conscience pursues (pursues), harasses (smites), and punishes (smites). The conscience, which was a little while ago your best friend, is now your worst and most hated enemy. Those who have recently made noise in Jangan with their cruelty are those who have rejected the voice of conscience. If we reject the voice of our conscience, our joy disappears and we fall into fear and regret.
Ⅲ. The rewards of Conscience
There is no reward comparable to the effort of conscience. But the reward of conscience does not come without a price. In Victor Hugo's work, Jean Valigan fights all night with her conscience, then confesses her guilt by going to prison where an innocent person is sentenced to death. People called him a poor fool, but he finds peace of conscience. Joseph kept his conscience, and Pharaoh's golden necklace was hung around his neck. If you become a friend of your conscience, you will become a great ally on the battlefield of life.
IV. Herod's Conscience
1. He also had a conscience.
Herod respected John's righteous and holy life, fearing him and protecting him (v. 20). He even listened to John with pleasure. Still, his conscience was troubled. Sin is loving and wanting to be holy. Like a bird caught in a net, he wants to depart from sin and fly through the sky, but he is bound by the cords of lust and cannot leave. “The heart is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41) Like Lot's wife, he perished because he could not cast away the lust of sin.
2. Herod with a scorched conscience becomes a failure.
He loved John, but he did not see his Lord. ‘Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’ The church shows Christ and leads us to Him. The Bible called him a fox who did not hear the voice of his conscience. Also, he did not love the Word of God as the Word of God. He said, “I am glad to hear him” (verse 20), but I did not believe God speaking to me through his mouth. We must refrain from choosing the Word of God for ourselves. John urged repentance by saying, “The ax was laid at the root of the tree” (Luke 3:9). We must humble ourselves before the word of God and obey it. He did many things, but failed to forsake one evil, and thus became a failure in salvation. He did not fear God, he did not deny himself, he was afraid of men.
closing words
Herod, he killed the prophet whom conscience revered with death. Among those whose conscience mocked Jesus for death were Stalin and Kim Il-sung. Joseph Stalin was a seminary student, and Kim Il-sung grew up in a Christian family, but he was the most persecutor of Christianity. Anyone who wants to become a servant of Christ must resurrect a dead conscience. Just as Lazarus, who died at the call of Jesus, was raised to life, it begins by hearing the word of God.