Most Christians Struggle With Shame

Shame - a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. Now this could be behavior you have done or something done to you.

How do you know if you are carrying shame?

Answer: If you think about your life and you go, man if the people in this room ever found out about what I’ve done (or what’s happened to me), I would be finished. I could never look them in the eye again. You are carrying shame.

Also if you feel pain or humiliation in regards to your past.

Main Text

“And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” —1 John 2:28-29

Four practical ways to deal with shame:

I.

“Abiding in him prepares believers for his appearing: abiding is our confidence; his appearing is our motivation.” —Daniel Akin

1. We build our home in Jesus by getting in his
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   .
2. We build our home in Jesus by getting in the
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   .
3. We build our home in Jesus by coming to
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   /home groups.
4. We build our home in Jesus by standing
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   in the faith.
5. We build our home in Jesus by following his
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   .

II. Believe That He Is

The Apostle John understands that if we recognize that Jesus is coming back, we will live our lives in such a way that we will not be ashamed.

“The doctrine of the second coming has failed, so far as we are concerned, if it does not make us realize that at every moment of every year in our lives Donne’s question, “What if this present were the world’s last night?” is equally relevant.” —C.S. Lewis

III.

John understands that if you truly know God, if you truly know who He is, it changes your life. You don’t live the same way you’ve always lived.

To the degree in which you know Him and know his character, you will experience freedom from your shame.

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” —Hebrews 12:2

IV.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” —John 15:5

Those who live righteous lives will look back and see a trail of righteous living and there is no shame to be found in that. Whatever shame you had about your past will be erased at the sight of the fruit produced through your life by the Holy Spirit.