COMPLETE SERMON NOTES
Lord, Remove My Guilt & Shame
INTRO: Video: http://vimeo.com/114725430 Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is tomorrow, Jan. 18th. It commemorates 42 years since the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in our country. Since then, millions of abortions have taken place in the U.S.
LORD, REMOVE MY GUILT & SHAME – Men too – and this message isn’t just for the post-abortive…
LET’S BEGIN WHERE THE BATTLE BEGINS:
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
• Strongholds are fortresses – and fortresses hold people hostage
*Tony Evans; Reversing the Curse of Addiction: http://youtu.be/eadcNb2iPXI
The enemy works by putting up a partition in our mind and dividing the two kingdoms of light and darkness …
Many live in two worlds: my church world and my secular world.
• The devil plants thoughts contrary to truth, but makes them appear innocent.
• “YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH & THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE!”
Evans, “Fortresses in our mind must be destroyed, not remodeled…The reason a fortress remains is because we’re doing some of what God says. [Partial obedience is not obedience.] You can’t do 2/3rds of what God says.”
3 biblical ways to remove the fortress:
DON’T KEEP REVISITING THE PAST: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14
• Paul persecuted Christians – when we revisit it, we begin to put the bricks and concrete back together.
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
DON’T HOLD IT IN [the power of confession]: 1 John 1:9 ESV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Romans 8:28 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
• The walls we build to protect end up imprisoning: “I’m just going to deal with this my way, and in my own time.”
• To sincerely say, “I was wrong,” is one of the hardest things for us to do, but it’s the most important. NOW GOD CAN WORK.
It took me 20 years to reach out to the woman who had the abortion – guilt, shame, and embarrassment worked against me.
THE FORTRESS OF GUILT AND SHAME
a] GUILT: make someone feel guilty, especially in order to induce them to do something.
b] SHAME: a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.
We are saints and children of God, but the devil wants us to fill dirty and condemned so we return to the filth…return to the vomit.
• “As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly”. Proverbs 26:1
“I’M AN ADDICT!” No you’re not…you’re a child of GOD who is believing the lie: “bring every thought captive” and allow the truth to flow freely.
THE MIND MUST BE RENEWED: how are you going to renew the truth of God in your mind if you’re always feeding it garbage?
In Dr. Don Rannikar’s book, Choosing God’s Best, he outlines eight ways to listen correctly.
God’s voice… The voice of the enemy through guilt & shame…
>Stills you >Rushes you
>Leads you >Pushes you
>Reassures you >Frightens you
>Enlightens you >Confuses you
>Encourages you >Discourages you
>Comforts you >Worries you
>Calms you >Obsesses you
>Convicts you >Condemns you
GOOD GUILT: make someone feel CONVICTED, especially in order to induce them to do something – TURN TO GOD!
DON’T CONTINUE IN IT: “and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
We are good at confession but then we continue in it…and we keep reinforcing the stronghold.
1. Install Safeguards
2. Change is not easy – it’s a battle
CLOSING: Do you ever wonder why some believers experience tremendous peace and joy? Because the burden has been lifted – we weren’t designed to carry the burdens of sin, guilt, and shame. THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE CROSS
