Unchecked sin is cancer to your spiritual growth.

That theme has echoed throughout John MacArthur’s ongoing series Purity and Conscience. Over and over, he’s exhorted readers to listen to their consciences—calling them “the soul’s emergency warning system.”

But our consciences aren’t self-sufficient—they require careful maintenance and protection. A vital part of keeping your conscience soft, sharp, strong, and clear is dealing decisively, consistently, and thoroughly with sin whenever and wherever it pops up. Tolerating or ignoring it will only dull your conscience and train you to ignore its warnings.

In the following audio clip, John explains why and how believers need to constantly root out and destroy the sin in their lives.

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That short excerpt comes from John’s landmark message “Hacking Agag to Pieces.” The title refers to an episode in the lives of Saul and Samuel, and John uses the Old Testament story as an illustration of how the Lord instructs us to deal with sin.

If you’ve never heard this powerful message before, or you’d like to hear it again, click here to download or stream the entire sermon.