Death Of A Conscience

      “This is he of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'  I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."      Luke 7:27 ,28 (ESV)

Much like King Ahab, Jezebel and the prophet Elijah, we find King Herod, his brother’s wife Herodias, and John the Baptist.  What a sad story.  John is murdered by King Herod Antipas in cold blood to please his eloped mistress.  But worse than murdering a man of God is murdering your own conscience !

Read; Matthew 14:1-12 

The four Herods:  1)  Herod the Great; who had nine wives, He was the one who murdered the infants in Bethlehem Matt.2:13-18 ;   2) This one is his son Herod Antipas who lived a life of debauchery;  3) His son Herod Agrippa who imprisoned Peter and killed James Acts 12:1-23;    4) his son was Herod Agrippa II who tried Apostle Paul Acts 26:1-32

I. v1,2 Guilty Conscience

1) conscience: inner moral compass

2) conscious: is when you are aware of something

* he is recounting the past and now has a guilty conscience

* conscience is that red warning light in your soul;  a moral beeper

II. v3-5 Don’t Ignore Your Conscience

* he felt guilty not only for killing John, but for knowing what John had said to him about morality was true  Mark 6:17-19

            Mark 6:20   Herod knew that John was a man of God

* at this point his conscience is very much alive, but not for long

III v6-9 Herod Had A Trapped Conscience

* the lust of the flesh & eyes, and the pride of life   Mark 6:21 -24

            Proverbs 29:25  snare vs safety

* there’s no turning back now, he is on the slippery slope of sin

* now a tormented conscience   v9

* just hearing about Jesus and wondering who He really is

* thinking that John the Baptist has resurrected

Heed the early warning signs of your conscience