Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. We break God's commandments. We defile ourselves in some way by living in a way that is anti-God and antichrist and anti-Bible. The normal, natural consequence of that is guilt and shame. On today's PowerPoint, Dr.
Graham brings a message about how you can experience freedom from guilt and shame.
Now, here's Dr. Graham with his message: no more shame. Everybody needs help. All of us. And we're talking these days about the various kinds of mental, emotional, and spiritual attacks.
They come against us every day, whether it be stress. or anxiety. Depression. And today is a very important subject, and that is the message regarding shame. And thankfully, the title of this message is No More Shame.
Because in Jesus Christ, we have been promised... Freedom. Freedom. Forgiveness. From sin Guilt.
Regrets And shame, regardless of the source. of the sin. the shame, the guilt. There is grace to cover it all. Amen?
God's great grace. Grace. It's the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we need to live. Without shame in Jesus Christ.
So take your Bibles and turn to 1 John chapter 1 and verse 9. A very well-known verse, if you are a believer and follower in Christ. It simply says if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us. From all unrighteousness.
Now God uses guilt, God uses even shame. to bring us to Jesus. Often to convict us of sin. and to point us to the cross for redemption and restoration. and salvation.
Sin is the source of all Shame. Sin will destroy us. Physically Mentally Emotionally, Psychologically and yes. Spiritually. Unfortunately, in our culture today, sin is in.
In other words, sin is even more popular. We're inventing new ways to sin, and we're rationalizing. Our sin.
Now what is sin? Let me just mention several. identifying marks, if you will. Of what sin is, because clearly people want to rebrand sin, people want to remake sin as to what it actually is.
So, what does the Bible say about sin?
Well, number one, sin is defiant. Sin is defiant. The Bible describes sin as lawlessness. lawlessness and rebellion. And this sin is not only lawlessness in society and in the culture, but it is ultimately defiance against Almighty God.
Sin is a fist in the face of a holy God. Sin is also described in the Bible as disobedience. When we break the commandments of God. And then sin is defilement. Defile it.
When you read of sin in the Bible, it's described as a defilement, a dirty thing, a defiling thing in our life that corrupts, it's toxic. Both mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritual. It is spiritual defilement. It is described in the Bible even as leprous sores and the rags that covered leprous sores.
So it is a wicked thing, it is an evil thing, it is a defiling thing. And then, not only that, but sin is a disease. It is a death-dealing disease. The wages of sin is Death. Sin is like a cancer.
And you will either be killing the cancer of sin, or the cancer of sin will be killing you. You either kill the sin or the sin will kill you. Sin is A disease. Sin is also deceitful. Deceitful like the heart.
above all things and desperately Wicked. And so people are deceived by sin. and in particular the consequences of sin. And The lies. Regarding Sin, it is deceitful, it's a lie.
Sin is destructive. Not only to ourselves. But to those all around us, and then sin is devilish. Sin is devilish. 1 John 3:8.
Whoever makes a practice of sinning. is of the devil. For the devil has been sinning from the beginning. That's true. Jesus said, That sin Comes from the father of lies.
It is a lie. And he is brought us to a to a place in our lives when we see our sin of brokenness. in our sinfulness. And that's called what? Guilt.
Guilt. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the problem is the sin that is within every person who's born on the face of this earth. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 15 and verse 19, these are the words of Christ. He said, Out of the heart.
out of the inner being. Flows all these sins of lying and murderers and adultery and all the sinful behaviors of mankind. We have all sinned. We are all guilty. The reason we feel guilty is because we are guilty.
And the Bible describes the pain and the misery that sin. Braves. David once said, in the midst of his sinful behavior and unconfessed sin, he said, My death. Guilt has over Whelmed me. It's guilt.
And if we do not deal with the guilt that is in our lives, Then ultimately guilt. becomes Shame. You say, what's the difference? What's the difference in guilt? And shame.
Well, guilt. I did something bad. I did something wrong. It's something that I have done, something that I did, and as a result, I feel bad because of my guilt. The conscience is pricked, and we know that we've broken one of God's commandments, or we've done something that is wrong towards someone else.
So, guilt comes as a result of what I. Did. But unless guilt is dealt with By grace, then it becomes shame. And shame says, not that I just thought I did something bad. But I am.
Something bad. It becomes Our identity. It's not what I have done. But shame. is who I am.
And we have feelings of worthlessness. I am worthless. I am Vile. I am depraved. You see the difference?
There is guilt and there is shame. Listen to this. Shame is the deep sense that you are inherently flawed. unacceptable and unworthy of love. Because of something you've done.
or something done to you or something associated with you.
So it's very important that you see Shame For what it is. It is that inherent sense that I am flawed.
Now, here's what the Bible says about that. Before Christ? Before I became a believer and follower in Jesus, I am. And so are you. inherently Flawed.
We live in sin and shame because that's who we are, BC, before Jesus Christ. The shame is a result of my sin and guilt. The fact is As I quoted earlier, the Bible says that sin Is deceitful above all things, it's desperately wicked, and it is inherent, and it is inhuman within the human spirit. We have all sinned. And so We break God's commandments.
We defile ourselves in some way by living in a way that is anti-God and antichrist and anti-Bible. In other words, we oppose God. We live in our sin. The normal, natural consequence of that is. Guilt.
and shame. Just like Adam and Eve in the garden, when they sinned against God, they broke God's commandments. The guilty pair are standing before a holy God, they realize that they were naked and ashamed. Never had known that or experienced that before. But now in their sin.
Naked. and ashamed. before a holy God. That is the human condition. That is the heart of every human being.
So What am I to do? With this sin and that shame. And let me hasten to say that.
Some shame. Is a result of not what you have done, but what others may have done to you.
So, Whether your shame is a result of your own personal choices. Or the choices of others, or something that you are associated with. Maybe you are associated with something sinful in your life. A business. or a behavior.
an organization. that puts you in association with wickedness or sinfulness and you are even ashamed.
So There are various sources of shame. in our lives. And It's a powerful and powerful, miserable. condition in which to live. David said it in Psalm 38, verses 4 and 5.
Listen to these words. For my iniquities have gone over my head, that is, they've overwhelmed me. Like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness. And we all need to remember.
That ultimately, our sin, though it is against ourselves and the breakdown of our own bodies, the breakdown of our own brains. Ultimately, our sin is against God. Sin breaks not only the commandments, but sin breaks the heart of God who loves you and gave Himself for you. for you. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, No More Shame.
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Now let's get back to today's message. No more shame. Because since the sin is ultimately against God. Only Yeah. can forgive sin.
Only God who is just. can cleanse us from sin and set us free. Your life Belongs To God. You were made by God and for God. And he is the only one who knows you intimately, who loves you perfectly, and who can redeem you eternally.
and restore The brokenness that sin has caused in your life, and the shame that results. Only the Holy Spirit of God Can cleanse us from sin. Only the pure and perfect word of God can sanctify us by his truth. And it is God's love that liberates us. and sets us free from the power of sin.
and shame. Sin ultimately. is that one little letter in the middle of it. Aye. Sin is idolatry.
Instead of making God the center of our lives. We make self The center of our lives. Since is the worship of self. rather than the worship. That's what it is.
And this sin. Will either be pardoned in Christ or punished. In judgment. and in hell. That's what the Bible teaches.
teachers.
Now the question is, when you become a Christian. Can you sin? Of course you can. We know it, the Word of God teaches it. We know it by Experience.
So what do we do with our sin? as believers and followers of Jesus Christ. And Because Sin has impact upon believers' lives as well. Creating what? Guilt?
And if guilt is not dealt with, what? Shade. And Regrets.
So, if you are a saved person, that is, you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior. And there is sin. In your life, unconfessed and unrepented of, when you sin, and you do sin, we all do. What do you do with your sin? Let me mention several ways you can.
You can handle your sin. As a Christian, one, you can cover it. That's what many people do. We may cover it in Many ways. even coming to church.
Now you ought to come to church if you're sent. But not hypocritically. You must come honestly and sincerely as best you can. But don't try to cover it. The Bible says, whoever who tries to hide his sin.
will be judged. and severely judged. But whoever confesses his sin and forsakes his sin Will be forgiven.
So you can't cover it.
Some people, some believers, try not. to cover their sin, they just try to contain it. Try to control it. Manage. The set.
and make it better. Others compartmentalize it. They live. Compartmentalize live. You've got your.
Christian life over here. and your other life over here. The things you do. Are compartmentalized separate from who you are in Christ.
So you've got little compartments. Little closets in your life, and there you keep your sin. That's compartmentalizing sin. And then Some people actually celebrates them. What are we to do with sin?
We are to confess it. 1 John 1:9. If we confess our sin, now here's. Here's what confession is. When I am confessing my sin, I am agreeing with God and what God says and not what I say.
I'm not justifying myself. I'm not covering my sin. I'm not celebrating my sin. Or compartmentalizing my sin, I'm saying, Lord, this is my sin, I own it. And I confess it before you.
This is also called in the Bible, it's another word. But it's repentance. Which means to turn from our sin. And to trust in the one. You can cover our sin and cleanse our sin.
That's what 1 John 1.9 is all about. When you think about 1 John 1:9, it's a promise for sure. But it's also A principle. And it is a principle in the sense that it is a fact. that Christians Believers are always confessing our sin.
The way this verse is written, If we are confessing our sins, it's present, active there is that it's something that we're always doing it. As soon as sin shows up in our lives, when we are made aware of our sin, when the Holy Spirit prompts us that this is wrong, this is sin, when we know in our own consciousness that what we've done is the wrong thing and breaking God's commandment, when that happens, what do I do? I don't cover it, I don't condemn it or celebrate it, I don't compartmentalize it, I confess it by saying, God, This is wrong, and you are right. And this is what we're doing at... As a part of our lives as a Christian, Christians confess their sins.
Why else? Would Jesus teach us to pray in the model prayer? Forgive us our sins or our trespasses. As we have sinned and trespassed against others, why would Jesus teach us to pray for forgiveness if, as believers, we're not always praying for forgiveness? I've actually heard some people say, well, as a Christian, you really don't need to pray for forgiveness.
All your sins are forgiven. You don't need to, it's a denial of who you are in Christ. No. As Christians, yes, all of our sins are forgiven, past, present, and future. It's all under the blood of Christ.
But in terms of our sanctification, in terms of our growing relationship with God, in terms of our fellowship with God, we are always coming clean with God. We're always opening our hearts. for God to work. and to change us and make us more and more like Jesus.
So it's a principle. It's a promise. If you do this, God said he will do that. You confess God will cleanse. But it is the fact.
It is a principle. that this is who we are, this is what we do as Christians. Because we're always confessing our sins if we are believers. You don't have to live as a slave. to sinful habits.
And the shame. That results. You're not in Christ. To live as a slave. To sin.
What we call Addiction. And there are many addictions. But what we call addictions, the Bible calls. Bondage. Bondage.
A slave. To sin. Thank God. For his love. That sent Jesus Christ to this earth.
To die on the cross for our sins and, yes, our shame. To remove our sins according to the scripture, as far as the east is from the west. You know how far that is? Infinity. Infinity.
To bury, to drown our sins in the depths of the sea. Listen to what God says in. Micah 7, 18, and 19. We'll wrap this up, but it says, Who is a God like you? Pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance.
That's you and me, we're the inheritance of God. He does not retain his anger forever because he delights. He delights in his steadfast love. And he will, again, his grace is greater than our sin. He again will have compassion on us.
He will tread our iniquities underfoot. And you will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Praise God. The holy name of our Savior. You see, you don't have to live in guilt.
But you can live in grace. You don't have to live in shame. But in salvation which Christ has provided. The problem with guilt and shame is it leads to so many other bad behaviors. People medicate their shame.
with all kinds of behavior that doesn't honor and please God.
So the answer to sin, the answer to shame. It's Jesus. Psalm thirty-two, one and two. What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven. What joys when sins are covered over?
What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has been. has cleared their record.
So live. in the forgiveness and the freedom. that we have in Christ. No, More shitty. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, no more shame.
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Please give generously knowing that your gift will be doubled and make sure to request your copies when you give. Text the word overcome to 59789. Again, the word is overcome. to 59-789. And as a reminder, we have a new way to connect with PowerPoint.
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Just text Connect to 59-789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? It's true, the notion of sin seems antiquated to some, but that's because people have been sinning since the beginning of time. And the simple truth is that God's Word takes the notion of sin very seriously, and so should we. I mean it's sin that separates us from God and results in death.
And as Romans 6.23 says, the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now the good news is what the Scripture also says in 1 John 1:9, that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So let me ask you today, is it time you start taking the sin in your life seriously? Is it time you finally get honest with God and others? about your sin. Think about your relationships. Have you sinned in your relationship with your spouse?
What about your kids, with your co-workers? Think about your attitude and the things you think about. Are you guilty of the sin of lust, or of the sin of pride, or the sin of rebellion? Finally, Think about your relationship with God. Have you failed Him in not worshiping Him as you ought to worship Him, in not serving Him as you ought to serve Him, in not giving obedience to Him as He has commanded you?
Now, you don't need to beat yourself up over your sin, but you need to be honest with God about your sin. And that means saying, God, I blew it. I failed here. I sinned. I own up to it.
And then trust Him for His forgiveness. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. And our relationship to Him can be restored and renewed when we receive His forgiveness as a gift. Are you ready to get honest with God and receive the forgiveness that He offers? And that is today's PowerPoint.
Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more to PowerPoint, we'll send you two copies of Dr. Graham's book, Triumph, as our thanks. Text the word overcome to 59-789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message on how you can find comfort in the midst of grief.
That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.
