Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Unashamed - Part 1 (Romans 1:16-17)
0 Plays2 seconds ago
Sunday Message recorded 19 October 2025
by Deacon Stephen Mick
First Baptist Church - Columbus, TX, USA
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
Recommended
Transcript
Service Format Changes and Personal Anecdote
00:00:06
Speaker
Good morning. i know we're doing things a bit differently this this morning, and it's not an indication that I'll preach for an hour. I don't intend to do that, so don't be too worried. You'll also notice in the bulletin that there's not a specific time listed for intercessory prayer.
00:00:23
Speaker
and We haven't forgotten it, but during what would normally be the invitation, we'll do two songs together. And during that time, we invite you to come and pray and to intercede and and to respond to the message of God moves you.
00:00:40
Speaker
Have you ever done something embarrassing? Okay, so there's some chuckles. That's good because, Josh, you
Exploring Shame: From Personal to Biblical
00:00:49
Speaker
have the microphone. We can have people tell their stories now.
00:00:54
Speaker
Now, we've all done something that's embarrassing. I travel a lot for work and embarrassing things seem to happen to me all the time. On a very recent trip, I'll tell you the situation. when We walk in I'm with one of the local salespeople. We're going to meet somebody to talk through their lab situation, their new equipment that they're planning to buy, the science that they're going to do.
00:01:17
Speaker
you know, it's a serious time. And the customers are in front of me, it's then me, and then it's my colleague behind me. And as we're walking to the to the conference room, my colleague says, your zipper's undone.
00:01:33
Speaker
Well, I think the worst. I also think, how does he know he's behind me? like So I'm confused as we're walking, but to avoid a disaster, I
Purpose of Creation vs. Shame
00:01:47
Speaker
check. And he goes, oh, no, no, no.
00:01:50
Speaker
I mean your backpack zipper. Like, ugh. Really? Why did you just say your backpack's open? Come on, bro. So everybody had a chance to laugh at my expense, but you know, that's okay.
00:02:03
Speaker
Embarrassing things happen. And I don't like to tell about embarrassing times, but I don't mind it so much.
00:02:13
Speaker
But what we what do we do when it's worse than embarrassment? When something shameful?
00:02:23
Speaker
When you're ashamed, when you do something that causes
Understanding Shame Through the Gospel
00:02:27
Speaker
shame, do you like to talk about it? I've done things I'm ashamed of for.
00:02:35
Speaker
I carry shame with me. And you're not gonna hear those stories today. Right, because I don't want to tell you about them, right? And I imagine we have that in common, that you don't want to tell me where you carry shame either.
00:02:52
Speaker
is something that we have in common. And it's this, that shame tends to make us hide. And we don't have to go very far in the Bible to even learn this lesson we see in Genesis chapter one and Genesis chapter two. God creates everything and it's very good.
00:03:11
Speaker
And by the time we get to Genesis chapter three, verse eight, what do we learn?
00:03:18
Speaker
Well, it's there on the screen. We see that Adam and Eve
Romans 1:16 and the Power of the Gospel
00:03:24
Speaker
They had everything good. They had an intimate, active, and personal relationship with God himself.
00:03:36
Speaker
But for them, that wasn't good enough. They wanted the one thing that God had rightly and wisely withheld. They wanted to know evil. and And we know this because in Genesis chapter 2, verse 17, God tells Adam, don't eat of that tree, and he gives it a name. He says it's the tree of good, the knowledge of good and evil.
00:03:57
Speaker
They knew everything good, but that wasn't good enough for them. So they they rebelled against God. And what is it saying? It says the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord.
00:04:13
Speaker
They sinned, they rebelled against God, and it caused caused them and us shame. And their shame caused them to hide. But you see, we're not meant to be ah people, to do shameful things. We're not meant to be a people who hide. God's intent for his creation is that we would know him, that we would be known by him, and that we would make him known.
00:04:38
Speaker
that And it's in that that we can find meaning and joy and delight. but shame and its consequences are real. And it's not always quite so easy to see as it is in this example of Adam and Eve.
Shame Types: Disappointment
00:04:53
Speaker
So today we're gonna talk about it. I hope it's a helpful topic to you. And I hope that as we talk about it through a single verse today, and that we'll be able to get a fresh perspective on shame to determine Where is shame presently a problem for us?
00:05:14
Speaker
And how can we find freedom through the gospel of Jesus Christ from our shame? So we have a single verse. If you wouldn't mind standing with me as we read our one verse today. It's from Romans 1.16. It'll be on the screen shortly.
00:05:34
Speaker
There we go. All right, Romans 1 16 says this, for i am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
00:05:52
Speaker
Let's pray. Lord, I pray as we study this verse that you speak to our hearts, that you free us from the shame that's holding us back. Amen. Help us to experience and realize your power through us, and the power of the gospel. In Christ's name, amen.
00:06:12
Speaker
So now, this verse, if you've heard many sermons on this verse, it's almost always used to talk about evangelism. Right? I'm not ashamed of the gospel. And then the application is, so go tell people the gospel.
00:06:26
Speaker
Now, to be clear, we should share our faith. Absolutely. We should do it in an unashamed way. right our Our faith is something that we should be willing to declare. And this verse is a declaration to which we should aspire.
00:06:46
Speaker
We should be able to say, I'm unashamed of the gospel. Why? Because it's the power of God to save everyone who believes. We should be able to say that. But I suspect it's a declaration that we all but not all can make.
00:07:02
Speaker
right And there are a lot of situations where maybe we do speak the gospel with some confidence. It could be that you speak the gospel confidently to your children or to your grandchildren.
00:07:13
Speaker
Perhaps we speak the gospel confidently in our Sunday school class, um amongst our peers. But do we speak the gospel confidently on the golf course with coworkers?
00:07:26
Speaker
Do we speak the gospel confidently at the company picnic? Do we speak, can we speak the gospel confidently on an airplane, my world, or at a conference next to our vocal, political worldview opposite?
00:07:44
Speaker
That's a lot harder then, right? The reality is we don't often feel prepared confident, ready to share the gospel, and there are a lot of reasons for it, lot of reasons.
00:07:58
Speaker
But I think this verse compels us to consider the role that shame might play in our hesitance or even our unwillingness to share the gospel. So I know it it might seem like a novel way to approach this verse through the through the lens and the perspective of shame, but let's consider, like why is it that Paul could make this claim?
00:08:20
Speaker
Why could he say with confidence that he is unashamed of the gospel? We'll do a little background work here, right?
Overcoming Shame with Scripture and Hope
00:08:27
Speaker
Context is always important to understand a verse. And as we study Paul's life, the one who spoke this verse, the one who penned these words, we see that he had a profound experience with Jesus.
00:08:40
Speaker
And in two different directions, in Philippians chapter 3, verses 7 through 8, that'll be on the screen for you, right? We see that Paul...
00:08:51
Speaker
had every qualification. He was a Jew among Jews. He was a leader of leaders. You know, they called him Dr. Paul probably, right? but But what he came to conclude, he says, whatever gain he had, what did he do? He counted it as loss for Christ.
00:09:13
Speaker
And verse eight continues.
00:09:19
Speaker
Can you go to verse 8, please?
00:09:25
Speaker
Verse 8 continues. Indeed, I count everything as loss. Why? Because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.
00:09:38
Speaker
Right? So on the one hand, he can say he's unashamed because no matter what qualification he had, it was nothing compared to knowing Jesus. Knowing Jesus is that good. Right? good And he's yeah, yeah, yeah, but Paul paul doesn't really know shame. he Did he do something to be ashamed of?
Shame of Disgrace and Redemption
00:09:56
Speaker
Well, in 1 Timothy 1.15, we hear that, in fact, he did. And again, he lifts up Jesus. He said, this saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And how does he identify himself?
00:10:12
Speaker
He said, of whom he is the foremost. You see... Every evil and wretched and murderous thing that Paul did, and there were a lot of evil and wretched things that he recounts in other places in the scripture, he knew that because of Jesus, these things were forgiven.
00:10:34
Speaker
You see, so there was no merit or qualification, Paul understood, that earned his salvation. But likewise, there was no sin so great that it would exclude him.
00:10:46
Speaker
Paul understood the wonderful gospel of Jesus and the power of God to save. And the result was then true, deep, expressive transformation and freedom.
00:10:59
Speaker
See, shame had been totally conquered in his life.
00:11:05
Speaker
And maybe it can be conquered in our life. and And because shame was conquered in his life, he could boldly proclaim the gospel without any shame. So regardless of what the world threw at him, nobody could shame him because he needed the gospel.
00:11:21
Speaker
He knew it. He admitted it. Nobody could shame him for being too sinful. He knew it. He admitted it. And nobody could shame him for not achieving too much. It's like, I've achieved it all and none of it's worth anything.
00:11:35
Speaker
right So can we say with complete confidence that thanks be to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of God through that gospel that shame's been defeated and eliminated in our lives?
00:11:50
Speaker
Maybe you're there. I'm not there yet. But I think this verse helps us to get there. OK, so there are four phrases before we look at the one term, not ashamed, which is not highlighted in this um version of the slide.
00:12:06
Speaker
There are four terms that we need to understand to properly investigate shame. So the first I want to draw your attention to is the power of God.
Restoration from Disgrace Through the Gospel
00:12:19
Speaker
The power of God. We won't have time to really dive into any of these four terms, but the power of God is an incredibly crucial term throughout the rest of the book of Romans. It turns out that Paul, throughout the book, gives at least 18 examples of the power of God.
00:12:35
Speaker
This verse actually becomes like the linchpin for all of Romans. and So Paul speaks to the power of God, and then throughout Romans, he illustrates it over and over and over again. And as you study those examples, if you were to do that, you would keep coming back to this inescapable truth that God is all-powerful, and he uses his power for what is right and good.
00:13:01
Speaker
Then the next term I draw your attention to is gospel. I know from time to time the word gospel gets defined from the pulpit, but just to refresh your memory, and gospel means good news.
00:13:15
Speaker
But it's like more personal role than that. It's good news that will change your life for the better. So something just to illustrate this, something that went on in the news recently, perhaps you saw Israel and
Shame from Disobedience and the Path to Repentance
00:13:33
Speaker
Hamas reached a peace agreement.
00:13:35
Speaker
And as part of the peace agreement, there were hostages that were released. right That's gospel. That is good news.
00:13:46
Speaker
but Imagine if you were a hostage and you heard a peace deal has been reached and you are going home. That's gospel.
00:13:57
Speaker
If you were that hostage, would you say, no, thanks. Rather enjoy the tunnels being starved. No, no. Right. And it's easier for us to think of the term gospel as good news that we can be indifferent toward. That's not gospel.
00:14:18
Speaker
The gospel is the good news that absolutely, positively, totally will change your life.
00:14:25
Speaker
The next word I draw your attention to salvation. and this This is why the gospel is such good news. Because the fact is, we need salvation. The gospel tells us three things. There's a problem, there's a solution, and we have a choice.
00:14:46
Speaker
The problem is that we've rebelled against God, and as a result, we deserve condemnation and separation from him for eternity. The solution was that God sent his son to take our place.
00:15:02
Speaker
And the choice will we believe it? Right? John 3.16 summarizes this ah beautifully. says, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
00:15:23
Speaker
Salvation once received, it brings complete transformation. It meets every need in our soul, And it changes every aspect of our being.
00:15:34
Speaker
And there are literally dozens and dozens of words that God uses throughout scripture to explain what salvation is. Again, we don't have ah and we don't have time to go through them. um In Sunday school, I think it was a March time frame, we studied salvation. And I gave ah the students a handout of 42 different words, each with at least three scriptures related to them, explaining the breadth and the comprehensiveness of salvation Words like mercy, where through salvation, because of salvation, God ends our suffering.
00:16:08
Speaker
Peace, whereby God sets things right. it's as if you have a broken bone and the bone is put back together. That's peace. And that's part of salvation.
00:16:20
Speaker
There's deliverance, is a term used to describe salvation, being rescued from evil. a rescue that we desperately need, and there's restoration and healing. And this is just a small taste of how God describes salvation and its comprehensiveness throughout Scripture.
00:16:40
Speaker
And then back to Romans 1 16, the fourth term that I draw your attention to is to believe. And this isn't just an academic belief. I'm like, do you believe that two plus two is four?
00:16:52
Speaker
Yes.
Embracing Gospel's Power to Overcome Shame
00:16:53
Speaker
Okay, good. Do you use that? Probably not. You know, when we have a lot of students say, I don't like math because I don't think I'll ever use it. Like, oh, but you can. Okay, whatever. That's that's a different lesson.
00:17:09
Speaker
Right? Belief is a confidence that leads to action that guides the rest of your life. Okay, so this is the homework, the groundwork that we need to lay. We've discussed the power of God, the gospel, salvation, and belief.
00:17:25
Speaker
And if we were to roll all this back together and in a loose rereading of Romans 1.16, it might sound something like this. For I am not ashamed of the good news of Jesus that literally transforms my life.
00:17:42
Speaker
For it is the absolute power of the almighty God to intervene and save me in every way imaginable. And it's needed. In every way sorry every way imaginable and needed.
00:17:56
Speaker
And those who place their confident trust in Christ, a trust that guides their conscience and leads their actions for the rest of their lives, will be saved. That's what Paul's trying to get across to us.
00:18:10
Speaker
But perhaps we find ourselves, like I said, unable to proclaim this. ah So let's take time to think about how shame might be playing a role in keeping us from experiencing this good news.
00:18:25
Speaker
And today I want to bring before you three things to consider. Three types of shame. The first is the shame of disappointment. Now, culturally, we understand shame related to disappointment. So bear with me. I'll try to explain this. It's very clear in my mind, so I hope to make it clear to you. But have you ever heard the phrase, oh, that's a shame?
00:18:49
Speaker
Like, you know, the Astros didn't make it to the playoffs this year. come on. Oh, that's a shame. Yeah, yeah. You know, i was really looking forward to that concert the other day, but it got rained out. Clearly it wasn't around here, but oh, that's a shame.
00:19:07
Speaker
You see, that's a shame. It's a phrase that we use in a lighthearted or an empathetic way when we're disappointed, but we don't really know who to blame, right? But but shame
Response and Seeking Freedom Through Worship
00:19:18
Speaker
always isn't always lighthearted. And it turns out that's a shame. We internalize that phrase.
00:19:25
Speaker
We take shame when into ourselves and upon ourselves when we face disappointment in ourselves and we face disappointment in our situation.
00:19:37
Speaker
Maybe we have a goal, but we don't achieve it. We have some expectation, but somehow we don't measure up. There's an opportunity we really want, but we don't qualify for it.
00:19:52
Speaker
There's a desire, a want or a need, but we can't afford it see, like Adam and Eve who hid because of their shame, shame related to disappointment even can cause us to withdraw and hide too. Here's here's another example.
00:20:09
Speaker
If we were, and i don't see i don't see the microphone here, but if I were to invite someone up now to come sing a solo, who who would want to do that? Okay, it's a lot of awkward, not me, right? Well, why is it that?
00:20:30
Speaker
See, in most cases, the underlying issue with with shame of disappointment is that we have an opinion of what it takes to sing in front of others.
00:20:43
Speaker
We assess that we don't have the skill, that we're not gifted, we're not qualified, And therefore, we can't participate. And that's how the shame of disappointment works.
00:20:57
Speaker
Scripture is very clear. Psalm 95, Psalm 98, Psalm 100 tells us, commands us, make a joyful noise, all the earth. right God doesn't limit participation and singing to the talented.
00:21:13
Speaker
We're all supposed to sing. We're all supposed to make that joyful noise. And Julie and I listen to a devotion most days. And at the end of it, they encourage was that God made you exactly who you are. He gave you the vocal cords and the sound of the timber of your voice.
00:21:30
Speaker
Use it. God didn't make a mistake. Riva singing is a great way to say maybe we're not that confident. We don't feel confident about it.
00:21:41
Speaker
Our shame in the way we feel about ourselves means we won't even consider it. and And it's not just singing. It's common to be disappointed in any weakness, in any inability, in any lack that we see in ourselves or our situation. And without realizing it, the shame of not measuring up, not being able to sets in and it limits the opportunities and risks we're willing to take. but The dark side of this is when our disappointment due to some lack in ourself turns into a disappointment with God.
00:22:18
Speaker
Why did God make me this way? I'll never find somebody to love me. Obviously, he doesn't love me. Why did God give me these parents, this family, these friends?
00:22:30
Speaker
These people are no good. They're not helping me. I guess I'll just have to help myself. Why did he put me in this situation? Why did he stick me in this city? Why has God gotten me?
00:22:43
Speaker
ah Why don't I have the advantages that they have? That's not fair. God's not fair. You see how shame works? But the gospel, the good news of Jesus is the power of God to save us even from this shame.
00:23:01
Speaker
How? Because it gives us truth and it gives us better expectations. So how do we defeat the shame of disappointment? Well, we need to hope that it's so wonderful that any shortcoming we see in ourselves, any missed opportunity or anything that doesn't seem to work out will pale in comparison to knowing him.
00:23:25
Speaker
And see, this is the good news. Ephesians 2.10. It's a wonderful verse. I encourage you to memorize it It says this, we are his workmanship, created in Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
00:23:43
Speaker
Do you understand what this is saying? You're told that God made you on purpose, for a purpose. The word workmanship says that you are his work of art.
00:23:57
Speaker
You are precious in his sight with all your strengths and your weaknesses, with all your abilities and your inabilities, with all your advantages and your disadvantages.
00:24:13
Speaker
God made you the way he wants you. You don't have to be ashamed. And God, the way he made you, picked a journey for you. He set good works for you to do that you should walk in them.
00:24:31
Speaker
And he will use you in spite of how qualified and capable you are. And he'll also use you in spite of how unqualified and incapable you are.
00:24:45
Speaker
right So this begs the question. It's an honest question. And I'll tell you, when you know I study these things, I realize what Ephesians 2.10 says.
00:24:57
Speaker
But I feel like there's like ah some resistance there. And I think 2 Corinthians 5.21 helps answer or address that resistance. And here's the honest question is when good things happen to me, when good things happen through me, who do I want to receive the credit?
00:25:18
Speaker
And when I'm honest, I actually, I do want to get credit. if If I give a good lesson, I want people to say, hey that was a good lesson. come Thank you. Thank you. But don't don't you? I mean, am I the only one? Come on. We we all want to receive credit.
00:25:36
Speaker
And that's how shame twists its knife into our back. Right? we're We're ashamed that if we do something, we might not get credit. But 2 Corinthians 5.21 addresses this. right For our sake, he made him, Jesus, to be sin, who knew no sin.
00:25:51
Speaker
Why? So that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.
00:25:59
Speaker
If we really think about what we're asking for to get credit, we don't want credit for what we do. right And that's the good news is we don't. Instead, we get something better. The better hope, the better expectation. We get credit for what Christ did.
00:26:15
Speaker
And he takes the blame for what do we do. Second Corinthians 12, nine continues this theme. says, but he said to me, this is Paul complaining to God about his weaknesses.
00:26:29
Speaker
This is my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness. And so Paul concludes, therefore, I'll boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
00:26:48
Speaker
Because of the gospel, Paul didn't want to take credit any longer, and he knew he didn't have to take the blame. Paul realized that every advantage that he had was worthless, and every weakness he had no longer mattered.
00:27:01
Speaker
Do you believe this good news? That God's power overcomes every disappointment in yourself, every disappointment in your situation. He gets the credit. We don't have to take the blame.
00:27:16
Speaker
Oh, that we could let go of false expectations and disappointment and be unashamed.
00:27:26
Speaker
The shame also works its difficulties in us ah through disgrace.
00:27:34
Speaker
um we can be trapped by this type of shame when we suffer the evil that's done to us by other people. going to be honest with you this This is like a really difficult topic.
00:27:46
Speaker
I've been thinking about this passage for a very long time, and I don't know if anybody passed me on the freeway, but there were are a number of times I was thinking about... just disgrace and the difficulty that happens to us that causes disgrace to us. And you would have seen me like just weeping like a baby because there's such tragedy that happens and it's difficult to talk about.
00:28:12
Speaker
But the gospel is that good.
00:28:17
Speaker
So I don't mean to open any wounds that that you have that you're carrying around.
00:28:24
Speaker
unless it helps you to appreciate the gospel more. Because many of us do have deep wounds. You've been victimized, abused, neglected, betrayed, rejected, subject of false accusations, or even assault.
00:28:49
Speaker
And there's not only pain from the actual wounds, but there's a lingering pain. like Because often this type of hurt, it makes us feel responsible.
00:29:03
Speaker
It makes us feel ashamed. Shame lies to us and it says, you know what? It's really your fault.
00:29:12
Speaker
You're unworthy. You're unlovable, unwanted, worthless, forgotten. But it's not true.
00:29:25
Speaker
But you might not yet have embraced that truth. You might feel like Jeremiah. So there's an entire book in the Old Testament called Jeremiah. And if you read that book, oh, it's so difficult. Jeremiah had such a hard life.
00:29:41
Speaker
He felt the shame of disgrace. And you can see by the time chapter 20, about midway through the book, here's what he says in verse 15. Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father. A son is born to you, making him glad.
00:29:56
Speaker
and in verse 18, he says, why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow and spend my days in shame?
00:30:08
Speaker
when you're in the midst of the shame of disgrace, and this captures how you feel.
00:30:15
Speaker
His life was very difficult, but if you finish reading the book, you'll see that God sustained him. God helped him persevere, and God ultimately vindicated him.
00:30:29
Speaker
You see, so how do we defeat the disgrace of shame, or the shame of disgrace? Well, we need a God who understands our pain. who helps us to persevere, who redeems our suffering. The God, the true God who can restore what's been broken and stolen.
00:30:48
Speaker
And that's the good news of the gospel.
00:30:52
Speaker
I mean, consider Jesus. He understands all of our hurts.
00:30:59
Speaker
Do you know why? Because he experienced them. He was misunderstood, rejected, betrayed, mocked, falsely accused, tortured, humiliated, and savagely murdered.
00:31:15
Speaker
Hebrews 12.2 tells us about this cruelty and the shame of the cross. Now it's hard to put into words. just how dehumanizing and cruel and shameful the cross was.
00:31:30
Speaker
we We have a cross back here in our sanctuary. For us, it's it's a sign of identity. But at the time, it was not that. right It was a sign of utter shame and disgrace.
00:31:44
Speaker
The type of punishment that everybody would go out of their way to avoid and never identify with. right If somebody here had been selected for execution by crucifixion, the rest of us would pretend we didn't know you. That's how shameful it was.
00:32:03
Speaker
But Hebrews 12, 2 tells us, as we look to Jesus, the founder and the perfecter of our faith, what did he do? Well, for the joy that was set before him, the better expectation, the better hope, the redemption to come.
00:32:17
Speaker
He endured the cross, despising the shame. And now he's been vindicated, seated at the right hand of the throne of God. You see, Jesus endured the cross, despised its shame, and won a victory for us.
00:32:34
Speaker
The shame that he faced was real and it was terrible, but it did not win.
00:32:42
Speaker
Hebrews 4.15 tells us that he really does understand our pain. He's our high priest, and we don't have a high priest who's unable to sympathize with our weaknesses.
00:32:54
Speaker
but one who in every respect has been tempted just as we are, yet without sin. ah Jesus understands what we've gone through. And 1 Peter 2, verse 24, it helps us to remember that Jesus had real wounds. He had deep wounds.
00:33:15
Speaker
But the promise here is wonderful. it says he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed.
00:33:28
Speaker
Right. This is the gospel, God's power actively working to save us in every way that we need salvation. His mercy to end our suffering, restoration to make us like new
00:33:45
Speaker
We don't have to be outcast and rejected. Why? Because we're adopted as his sons and daughters. Again, another word God uses to explain the beauty of salvation.
00:33:58
Speaker
So even in the shame of disgrace, would you be willing to turn to Jesus and accept the gospel? Would you receive the power of God to save you?
00:34:10
Speaker
Oh, that we would receive restoration and renewal and healing from every disgrace we've suffered and to be unashamed. And if we did, wouldn't we tell somebody about it?
00:34:25
Speaker
There's another shame that that we need to discuss, and it's the shame of disobedience. Now, shame can have a legitimate and needed ah purpose.
00:34:37
Speaker
When we fail to follow and obey God, whether it's through weakness or through willfulness, ah shame's a necessary and natural result. Because see, to sin means to miss the mark.
00:34:51
Speaker
It's to break our responsibility ah before God. And this sin causes us shame. Ezra, and chapter 9, verse 6, tells us this. I won't read the whole verse to you, but it says, oh my God, I am ashamed. I blush to lift my face to you. Why?
00:35:08
Speaker
he failed God. He failed his covenantal duty and the people failed. right the The problem is how do we deal with this shame? Right.
00:35:21
Speaker
Our tendency is to hide. And why do we hide? It's because we choose to believe the lies that Satan tells us about sin. And there's a lot of lies that we choose to believe.
00:35:31
Speaker
we We first of all, we'll tell ourselves that it's not that big of a deal. Who's it's going to hurt? Who's going to know? We also believe the lie. Well, the sin is worth it.
00:35:43
Speaker
Like you don't understand. I've got to. But it's not worth it. And we'll look at this bit more next week. We also believe the lie that Satan tells us there's really no shame in sin. And that's a lie that our culture embraces.
00:36:03
Speaker
Not just being, you know, they're no longer ashamed with sin. They're unashamed and in your face. Right. And Satan tells that lie that there's no shame in sin. But he will tell you this lie. He goes on.
00:36:14
Speaker
but there is shame in repenting. Do you understand how people will judge you if you admit what you did? On the one hand, there's no problem doing it, but don't tell anyone.
00:36:29
Speaker
And we also, well, we kind of like it. We like to sin. And this is what Jesus tells us in John 3, verse 20. We read John 3, 16 earlier that God sent his son into the world to save us, to die for us.
00:36:48
Speaker
So whoever believes in him would be saved. John 3.20 goes on and says, For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed. In that same passage, he says, Just as God loved the world and sent his son, that same love, that's how we love darkness.
00:37:10
Speaker
And Jesus, being very clear-eyed about who we are, And says, yeah, you hide. Why? Because you love it. So the shame from disobedience is real. So how do we defeat this shame?
00:37:24
Speaker
I'll give you a couple couple things to to work on. The first is you need to recognize that everyone needs to repent. Even you.
00:37:38
Speaker
Now, we know everyone else needs to repent because we're pretty good at spotting where other people go wrong. right But Jesus warns us, don't look at the little speck in somebody else's eye. Look at the plank in your own eye.
00:37:56
Speaker
So he warns us. Look at yourself, and it's often hard to see in ourselves where we need to repent, especially if your view of sin is very small and you just look at a few visible and terrible things. You're like, well, I don't murder, and I, know, whatever your list is, you say you don't do those things.
00:38:17
Speaker
So I would encourage you, look at how Scripture defines the life of somebody who loves Jesus. A great place to look is Galatians chapter 5 where it tells us the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
00:38:36
Speaker
Those nine things, you could spend the rest of your life trying to do any one of them fully. So where do you need to take the next step to show this this fruit, this evidence of being transformed?
00:38:55
Speaker
Wherever, whatever's holding you back, wherever you're unwilling. Well, there's probably a sin back there, a rebellion in your heart that makes you not want to follow through.
00:39:07
Speaker
Okay, there you go. There's a place where you need to repent. Everyone needs to repent. It's hard to see it in ourselves. So use scripture as a mirror, but don't be like the guy in James who looks at his face in a mirror, sees himself clearly, then turns around like, yeah, we're good.
00:39:24
Speaker
that We forget what we look like. Scripture will help us if we'll go to it. Or back to our our text today, Romans 1.16.
00:39:35
Speaker
I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it's the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and to the Greek. Are we able to say this unashamedly?
00:39:46
Speaker
Do we boldly proclaim it? If not, why not? Are one of these shames working on you and in you and through you? Are you held captive to the shame of disappointment, held captive by the shame of disgrace, held captive by the shame of disobedience?
00:40:07
Speaker
What role is shame playing in keeping you quiet? What disobedience is present in your heart that makes you feel unqualified? So be honest, honest evaluation.
00:40:18
Speaker
And the psalmist invites God to and inspect. Psalm 139, verse 23 and 24 says, search me, O God. Make this your prayer. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. See if there's any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
00:40:38
Speaker
Well, he'll do it if you ask him.
00:40:42
Speaker
And then once you realize where you need to repent, First John 1 9.
00:40:49
Speaker
Confess your sins. If you do, he's faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
00:40:58
Speaker
So do you believe this good news? Sin is a big deal. It's rebellion and Christ suffered and died to pay our penalty for it.
00:41:10
Speaker
Sin's not worth it. It's an empty promise. And there is shame in sin. There's not shame in repentance. There's joy in being found.
00:41:24
Speaker
I'll give you one example. When my kids were very young, we used to play hide and go seek.
00:41:30
Speaker
And but they were not very good at the game because they didn't understand like really how to hide very well. But work worse than that, I would count and go, okay, what three, four, ready or not, here I come.
00:41:41
Speaker
And then i could look and see them, but I'd port pretend not to. I'd say, oh I wonder where Hannah is. i wonder where Josh and Sophia and Ethan are. And you know what would happen?
00:41:54
Speaker
They would say, I'm over here. a Right? Because for them, hiding wasn't fun. Being found was fun.
00:42:09
Speaker
And that's what the gospel tells us. It's no fun to hide. It's no fun to be a prisoner to shame, but there's joy in being found.
00:42:21
Speaker
So as we close, I told you we're going to do a couple songs now. We'll sing and we'll worship and we'll pray. This is the invitation I invite you to respond.
00:42:35
Speaker
Maybe your response will be just worship, thanking God for the great salvation, his awesome power working through the gospel to save you. Maybe you need to pray for someone else.
00:42:49
Speaker
Feel free to come to the altar and to pray. And at the conclusion of our songs, I'll close us in our intercessory prayer.
00:43:02
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.