WEBVTT 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:03.819 I was so excited to share this message today 00:00:03.819 --> 00:00:09.259 on this series of control, alt, delete. Actually, 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:12.519 control, alt, and delight, but sometimes we have 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:17.579 wanted to control, alt, delete, right? And bear 00:00:17.579 --> 00:00:20.179 with me because my sermon notes are always long. 00:00:21.230 --> 00:00:25.750 but I try to condense them. And I am so honored 00:00:25.750 --> 00:00:28.109 to have my dad here, who's been my inspiration 00:00:28.109 --> 00:00:32.469 and my example, a pastor of over 25 years at 00:00:32.469 --> 00:00:35.049 Spanish Mennonite Church. And my family and my 00:00:35.049 --> 00:00:38.170 friends are here today, too. And so I'm so thankful 00:00:38.170 --> 00:00:40.890 for everything that's been instilled into my 00:00:40.890 --> 00:00:45.210 life to be able to pour out into community the 00:00:45.210 --> 00:00:48.170 way that my dad did all of my life. So thank 00:00:48.170 --> 00:00:56.039 you guys for being here. So in this sermon, we're 00:00:56.039 --> 00:00:59.659 going to talk about freedom from shame and guilt. 00:01:00.060 --> 00:01:04.579 And I remember growing up and being in youth 00:01:04.579 --> 00:01:09.519 circles, and they would start conversations, 00:01:09.700 --> 00:01:12.519 you know, as icebreakers, and they would want 00:01:12.519 --> 00:01:15.950 to hear what your testimony was. And as a young 00:01:15.950 --> 00:01:18.329 person, I felt like I really didn't have much 00:01:18.329 --> 00:01:22.049 of a testimony because I grew up in church. I 00:01:22.049 --> 00:01:24.590 grew up helping my dad out. I kind of, you know, 00:01:24.590 --> 00:01:28.129 pretty much stayed on the narrow path of, you 00:01:28.129 --> 00:01:29.930 know, if you want to call me a square, you can 00:01:29.930 --> 00:01:32.969 call me a square. But I kind of felt like I really 00:01:32.969 --> 00:01:36.170 don't have anything to testify about. And then 00:01:36.170 --> 00:01:39.930 I realized that the testimony is a service unto 00:01:39.930 --> 00:01:44.420 God, right? But believe me, I was about... 16 00:01:44.420 --> 00:01:48.959 15 16 years old at that time I can tell you that 00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:54.819 at age 47 I have a lot to testify about I have 00:01:54.819 --> 00:02:01.459 a huge things that I have gone through under 00:02:01.459 --> 00:02:05.359 over in many different ways you know we've gone 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:08.800 through things and are thankful for the grace 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:12.430 of God in our life right for his forgiveness 00:02:12.430 --> 00:02:15.949 and his mercy that is new every day. And so I 00:02:15.949 --> 00:02:18.930 asked you guys, if you had a superpower, what 00:02:18.930 --> 00:02:21.389 would it be? You know, what did some of you answer? 00:02:23.770 --> 00:02:27.870 Teleportation. Anybody else? Patience. That could 00:02:27.870 --> 00:02:31.990 be a superpower. It's a superpower. Anybody over 00:02:31.990 --> 00:02:37.969 here? Teleportation. They took it? All right. 00:02:38.569 --> 00:02:43.050 Well, at that point in my life, a couple, some 00:02:43.050 --> 00:02:47.629 years ago, I'll say over 15 years ago, I wished 00:02:47.629 --> 00:02:49.669 that my superpower could be to be invisible, 00:02:49.949 --> 00:02:56.110 to hide in a cave, to never come out, for nobody 00:02:56.110 --> 00:02:58.889 to ever see me again. I literally wanted to control 00:02:58.889 --> 00:03:04.409 alt and delete and start over. But I'm so thankful 00:03:04.409 --> 00:03:07.599 because look at where I am now, right? Look at 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:11.939 where we are now. By the grace of God, I stand 00:03:11.939 --> 00:03:15.979 here today and I glorify in knowing that he is 00:03:15.979 --> 00:03:20.639 God and he is merciful and graceful. So in digging 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:24.379 into shame and guilt, I have to tell you that 00:03:24.379 --> 00:03:27.520 I'm a bit of a psychology nerd. I love psychology. 00:03:27.740 --> 00:03:31.659 I studied psychology a little bit. And so there 00:03:31.659 --> 00:03:36.430 is a difference between shame and guilt. Shame 00:03:36.430 --> 00:03:41.750 is something that is internal. Shame says, I 00:03:41.750 --> 00:03:46.569 am something wrong. Shame focuses on self and 00:03:46.569 --> 00:03:50.550 it focuses on your identity. Where guilt, it 00:03:50.550 --> 00:03:54.330 becomes external. It says, I did something wrong. 00:03:54.550 --> 00:03:58.569 It focuses on a behavior and a violation of personal 00:03:58.569 --> 00:04:04.490 values. So shame is internal. Guilt is external. 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:09.680 Shame is a weapon when it keeps us in hiding, 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:12.840 it causes defensiveness, and sometimes it even 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:17.620 leads us to project hurt onto others. Where guilt 00:04:17.620 --> 00:04:22.379 being external can be a gift when it leads to 00:04:22.379 --> 00:04:26.819 repentance. It can often lead to apologizing, 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:32.319 repairing, and taking responsibility. You see, 00:04:32.379 --> 00:04:37.139 shame affects our desired self -image. It really 00:04:37.139 --> 00:04:40.560 affects who we want to be, who we aspire to be. 00:04:41.639 --> 00:04:45.000 So when we feel shame, there's this sense of, 00:04:45.100 --> 00:04:51.019 that's not who I wanted to be. And when we feel 00:04:51.019 --> 00:04:56.439 guilt, we are acknowledging what we've done. 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:59.939 And it leads us to repentance and repairing and 00:04:59.939 --> 00:05:04.500 taking responsibility. So in essence, we want 00:05:04.500 --> 00:05:08.930 this. Spiritual transformation from internal 00:05:08.930 --> 00:05:12.769 to external. And we want to realize that your 00:05:12.769 --> 00:05:16.550 mistakes are what you did. They're not who you 00:05:16.550 --> 00:05:19.870 are. They're not your identity. Your identity 00:05:19.870 --> 00:05:22.810 is in Christ. So I'm going to say that one more 00:05:22.810 --> 00:05:27.029 time. Your mistakes are what you did. They are 00:05:27.029 --> 00:05:30.629 not who you are. Your identity is in Christ. 00:05:33.790 --> 00:05:37.930 I had plenty of testimony in my life. And so 00:05:37.930 --> 00:05:42.850 from the very beginning, the enemy has used shame 00:05:42.850 --> 00:05:46.370 to separate people from God. We see that in the 00:05:46.370 --> 00:05:49.629 story of Adam and Eve. Do you guys remember that 00:05:49.629 --> 00:05:52.829 they went to hide because they realized that 00:05:52.829 --> 00:05:55.170 they were naked? And so I can imagine they sewed 00:05:55.170 --> 00:05:58.189 some leaves together and some twine, and they 00:05:58.189 --> 00:06:03.139 covered their bodies. God comes looking for them, 00:06:03.139 --> 00:06:06.399 and it says they didn't turn towards God. They 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:08.560 hid from him. They said, I was afraid because 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:11.319 I was naked. And before sin, nakedness was innocence, 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:14.220 right? After sin, nakedness felt like they were 00:06:14.220 --> 00:06:18.500 exposed. And so shame will make you feel like 00:06:18.500 --> 00:06:23.019 you have to avoid people, places, things. Shame 00:06:23.019 --> 00:06:26.480 definitely doesn't allow you to delight in your 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:29.779 life. It makes you feel like you have to avoid 00:06:29.779 --> 00:06:33.660 prayer. Like you have to avoid worship, avoid 00:06:33.660 --> 00:06:36.899 fellowship, avoid community, avoid your calling. 00:06:38.220 --> 00:06:41.600 But something that God did when he was walking 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:48.399 in the garden, he said, where are you? Not because 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:51.139 he didn't know where they were. I mean, God is 00:06:51.139 --> 00:06:55.899 omnipresent. He's omnipotent. But because he 00:06:55.899 --> 00:06:59.199 wanted them to say, we are here. You know what 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:05.569 we are here? It's a sense of restoration. Lord, 00:07:05.670 --> 00:07:11.149 here I am. I'm exposing myself. So he wanted 00:07:11.149 --> 00:07:13.730 their restoration. So know this, that God does 00:07:13.730 --> 00:07:16.870 not abandon you in your shame. He comes looking 00:07:16.870 --> 00:07:21.970 for you. He pursues you, even when you're hiding, 00:07:22.149 --> 00:07:25.029 even when you wish that your superpower was to 00:07:25.029 --> 00:07:29.529 disappear. God comes looking for you, and he 00:07:29.529 --> 00:07:35.990 pursues your heart. See, guilt is cleansed and 00:07:35.990 --> 00:07:42.709 shame is covered. In Psalms, we look at the story 00:07:42.709 --> 00:07:47.490 of King David and he said, do you guys remember 00:07:47.490 --> 00:07:50.310 the story where King David understood deeply 00:07:50.310 --> 00:07:53.290 what his guilt was after his sin with Bathsheba? 00:07:53.569 --> 00:07:55.769 If you guys want to know more about it, come 00:07:55.769 --> 00:07:57.970 talk to me and we could sit down and talk about 00:07:57.970 --> 00:08:02.550 it. But in Psalms 51, he cries out, wash me. 00:08:03.180 --> 00:08:06.980 And I will be whiter than snow. Guilt says I 00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:11.079 need cleansing. Guilt is external. It recognizes 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:15.399 what has been done. It recognizes offenses. And 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:18.379 the blood of Jesus provides this. So let's read 00:08:18.379 --> 00:08:21.680 some scripture together. If you guys want to 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:27.600 stand with me. When I was studying how to do 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:30.100 sermons, a lot of the time I love to grab scripture 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:33.929 and take it apart. But sometimes there's a theme 00:08:33.929 --> 00:08:36.250 that needs to be read. And so then there's scriptures 00:08:36.250 --> 00:08:39.529 that come together in different ways. So we're 00:08:39.529 --> 00:08:41.450 going to look at two different scriptures today. 00:08:41.690 --> 00:08:49.529 The first one is Romans 8, verse 1. And then 00:08:49.529 --> 00:08:51.409 if you want to follow along with me, it'll be 00:08:51.409 --> 00:08:56.929 Isaiah 61, verse 7. So Romans 8, verse 1 says, 00:08:57.129 --> 00:09:00.230 There is therefore now no condemnation to them. 00:09:00.700 --> 00:09:03.940 which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:07.740 the flesh, but after the spirit. And in Isaiah 00:09:07.740 --> 00:09:11.539 61, 7, it says, instead of your shame, you will 00:09:11.539 --> 00:09:14.919 receive a double portion. And instead of disgrace, 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:18.399 you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:21.139 you will inherit a double portion in your land 00:09:21.139 --> 00:09:25.659 and everlasting joy will be yours. Amen. Let's 00:09:25.659 --> 00:09:28.549 pray real quick. Father God, we thank you so 00:09:28.549 --> 00:09:32.250 much for your word, your message, and for what 00:09:32.250 --> 00:09:36.970 we have to take away today. Allow us to focus 00:09:36.970 --> 00:09:39.830 on you. Allow us to focus on delighting in you 00:09:39.830 --> 00:09:49.490 and our freedom in you. Amen. I promise I'll 00:09:49.490 --> 00:10:00.220 move right along. So when we read, therefore, 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:03.340 there is now no condemnation for those who are 00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:07.879 in Christ Jesus, notice it says no condemnation. 00:10:08.539 --> 00:10:12.500 It doesn't say now there is now some reduced 00:10:12.500 --> 00:10:17.639 condemnation or half -off condemnation or clearance 00:10:17.639 --> 00:10:22.240 condemnation. It says there is no condemnation. 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:26.879 For those who are in Christ Jesus. And it also 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:31.340 makes it a point to say, therefore, now. So the 00:10:31.340 --> 00:10:36.279 condemnation isn't delayed. It's now. It says 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:40.320 a present moment, immediate reality for the believer 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:43.360 rather than a future hope. So Jesus took the 00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:45.840 punishment for our sin. And the condemnation 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:50.700 is not delayed. It's now. So therefore now there 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:52.860 is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus 00:10:52.860 --> 00:10:55.860 Christ. So through Jesus Christ, your guilt is 00:10:55.860 --> 00:11:01.379 forgiven. Your record is cleared. Your sentence 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:05.960 is canceled. And so we don't have to sit there 00:11:05.960 --> 00:11:10.759 and worry that, what about what I did? What about 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:14.840 this shame that I feel? Your first step is recognizing 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:20.139 guilt externally. And knowing that through Jesus 00:11:20.139 --> 00:11:24.980 Christ, there is no condemnation. And he kind 00:11:24.980 --> 00:11:30.240 of did a big thing. He died on the cross for 00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:35.320 our sin, for our guilt, for our shame. And he 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:43.679 didn't do this secretly, you guys. He did this 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:51.429 publicly. He was humiliated. He was shamed. He 00:11:51.429 --> 00:11:59.309 was beaten. It was a public display. Do you think 00:11:59.309 --> 00:12:02.190 that at any moment that Jesus was enduring all 00:12:02.190 --> 00:12:04.330 of this humiliation that he wanted to go hide? 00:12:08.169 --> 00:12:10.649 Didn't you think at one moment that he said, 00:12:10.730 --> 00:12:16.779 God, take this cup away. I don't want it. He 00:12:16.779 --> 00:12:20.200 wanted to hit that delete button. I'm sure, I'm 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:24.039 sure of it. At one point when he was enduring 00:12:24.039 --> 00:12:27.539 all of the pain and all of the humiliation publicly, 00:12:27.779 --> 00:12:32.860 I am absolutely sure that at one point he didn't 00:12:32.860 --> 00:12:39.659 want it. The cross was not just painful, it was 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:42.899 humiliating. It was public stripping, public 00:12:42.899 --> 00:12:49.429 mocking, public rejection. Jesus took your shame 00:12:49.429 --> 00:12:56.169 so that you would not have to live in it. The 00:12:56.169 --> 00:12:59.809 enemy wants you to remember your worst moment. 00:13:02.769 --> 00:13:05.649 He wants you to believe the false narrative of 00:13:05.649 --> 00:13:11.269 your identity in shame. He wants you to remember 00:13:11.269 --> 00:13:15.519 all of the bad things that you've done. He wants 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:17.899 you to remember all of the embarrassing moments. 00:13:18.580 --> 00:13:20.700 He wants you to remember all of the shameful 00:13:20.700 --> 00:13:24.200 moments. He wants you to remember that you need 00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:30.000 to sit in guilt. But you know what God wants 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:37.460 you to remember? That Christ finished work has 00:13:37.460 --> 00:13:42.539 cleansed you of your sins. That him dying of 00:13:42.539 --> 00:13:47.309 that on the cross. has taken all of your guilt 00:13:47.309 --> 00:13:50.809 and your shame and it has wiped you clean as 00:13:50.809 --> 00:13:59.409 snow. That fresh snow. Not the snow after the 00:13:59.409 --> 00:14:01.090 dirt and the mud and the animals have gotten 00:14:01.090 --> 00:14:06.370 to it. Clean as snow. Not the snow where the 00:14:06.370 --> 00:14:08.529 tires have run through the mud and there's speckles 00:14:08.529 --> 00:14:12.169 on the snow. Clean as that fresh fallen snow. 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:19.220 Isaiah 61, 7 says, instead of your shame, you 00:14:19.220 --> 00:14:22.220 shall receive a double portion. Everlasting joy 00:14:22.220 --> 00:14:26.679 will be yours. Do you think that's delight? Do 00:14:26.679 --> 00:14:29.679 you feel like that's delight? A double portion 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:33.559 of everlasting joy will be yours. So instead 00:14:33.559 --> 00:14:35.899 of a double portion, instead of double shame. 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:40.419 So God makes an exchange. God makes this amazing 00:14:40.419 --> 00:14:46.429 exchange. He doesn't just remove shame. He replaces 00:14:46.429 --> 00:14:52.769 it. Double portion instead of double shame. God 00:14:52.769 --> 00:14:56.330 makes an exchange. Where you were embarrassed, 00:14:56.710 --> 00:15:00.929 he gives honor. Where you were rejected, he gives 00:15:00.929 --> 00:15:06.129 acceptance. Where you were broken, he gives purpose. 00:15:13.710 --> 00:15:16.129 When I read this every single time that I got 00:15:16.129 --> 00:15:20.029 to this part, every time that I moved things 00:15:20.029 --> 00:15:23.129 around, tweaked this message, every time that 00:15:23.129 --> 00:15:25.330 I got to this part where you were broken, he 00:15:25.330 --> 00:15:38.769 gives purpose. So how do we walk in freedom? 00:15:41.309 --> 00:15:44.779 We want shame to... be from an internal place 00:15:44.779 --> 00:15:50.220 to an external place where we realize that guilt 00:15:50.220 --> 00:15:55.840 is not our identity, that there's forgiveness, 00:15:55.980 --> 00:16:01.100 that our identity is in Christ, children of God. 00:16:01.820 --> 00:16:06.029 So we confess, honestly, like... Sometimes it's 00:16:06.029 --> 00:16:08.429 really hard for adults to just be honest about 00:16:08.429 --> 00:16:11.350 who they are and all of the uglies that they've 00:16:11.350 --> 00:16:14.110 done. And sometimes there's moments of who they 00:16:14.110 --> 00:16:17.929 are in secrecy that maybe their spouse, their 00:16:17.929 --> 00:16:23.409 family doesn't even know about them. But a freedom 00:16:23.409 --> 00:16:27.629 from shame and guilt comes from honesty, an honest 00:16:27.629 --> 00:16:31.750 self -reflection of who we are. And if we can't 00:16:31.750 --> 00:16:35.559 be honest with ourselves, then who can be honest 00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:47.340 for us? We have to expose our guilt when it comes 00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:53.000 out of shame. We have to be accountable for the 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:58.259 things that we've done. We have to replace shame 00:16:58.259 --> 00:17:01.600 with accountability. We have to replace shame 00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:04.529 with... Letting people know, I need prayer. I 00:17:04.529 --> 00:17:08.670 need help. I need Jesus. I need my broken pieces 00:17:08.670 --> 00:17:13.910 to feel whole again. So if we confess our sins, 00:17:14.009 --> 00:17:15.990 he is faithful and just to forgive. That's 1 00:17:15.990 --> 00:17:21.930 John 1 .19. Receive forgiveness fully. Stop asking 00:17:21.930 --> 00:17:24.569 God over and over to forgive what he's already 00:17:24.569 --> 00:17:28.470 forgiven. You have to reject that false identity 00:17:28.470 --> 00:17:33.400 that you are not what you did. You are who God 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:37.759 says you are. You are his child. You stand firm 00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:40.359 in your identity in him. He wants you to feel 00:17:40.359 --> 00:17:45.059 his grace, his love, and his presence new every 00:17:45.059 --> 00:17:53.420 morning, every day. He gives us his gift. We 00:17:53.420 --> 00:17:57.440 need to step out of hiding. Step out of wanting 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:01.599 to delete those parts in our life. They formed 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:06.700 us. They created us in who we are now, right? 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:12.799 Shame survives in secrecy. It breathes in darkness. 00:18:14.700 --> 00:18:26.279 And freedom grows in light. Guess what? The cross 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:38.549 was enough. You're not disqualified. You're not 00:18:38.549 --> 00:18:47.049 permanently stained. Your shame is removed. Your 00:18:47.049 --> 00:18:51.710 identity is restored. Your future is secure. 00:18:55.549 --> 00:19:03.200 So we lift our head. Psalms 34 .5 says, Those 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:10.819 who look to him are radiant. It doesn't just 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:14.519 say those who look to him are good. Those who 00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:19.519 look to him are okay. It says those who look 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:24.900 to him are radiant. It's that inner joy, that 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:28.140 inner freedom. Their faces are never covered 00:19:28.140 --> 00:19:32.400 with shame. That's in the Bible, you guys. If 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:34.000 there's anything that you can write down today, 00:19:34.059 --> 00:19:38.119 Psalms 34, 5. Those who look to him are radiant. 00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:44.039 Their faces are never covered with shame. That's 00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:50.599 freedom. That's delighting in the Lord. And freedom 00:19:50.599 --> 00:19:55.119 belongs to us. There is freedom in having a relationship 00:19:55.119 --> 00:20:00.960 with Jesus Christ. There might not be freedom 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:05.440 in religion, but there is freedom in relationship. 00:20:07.700 --> 00:20:10.779 There is freedom in standing firm in your identity 00:20:10.779 --> 00:20:16.779 in Christ and who he has called you to be. And 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:21.119 freedom belongs to you. Amen? Amen. I promised 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:25.619 it was going to be short and sweet. Let's pray. 00:20:25.740 --> 00:20:29.109 Father God, thank you so much. for healing us 00:20:29.109 --> 00:20:35.369 from our shame and our guilt. And healing is 00:20:35.369 --> 00:20:42.089 constant. Healing is every day. And if it wasn't 00:20:42.089 --> 00:20:44.329 for your healing grace, I don't know where we 00:20:44.329 --> 00:20:50.930 would be. Thank you for coming into our lives 00:20:50.930 --> 00:20:55.690 when you did. Thank you if you've always been 00:20:55.690 --> 00:21:05.430 in our lives. Because that is a testimony. Thank 00:21:05.430 --> 00:21:08.890 you for freedom. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.