Moraine Valley Church

Merry Chritsmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year MVC family!

Christmas at MVC // Week 3

Man’s Response to God’s Light
John 1:4-5, 9-13 December 22, 2019
Introduction:
A. I remember a number of years ago walking into a dark house at night to do some
work. I had been there many times before and the path was always clear to the
light switch, which was not by the door but on the other side of the room. I
started a brisk walk over to the light switch and bam – I not only stumbled but I
went flying over something I could not see, something a worker had put there
during the day.
B. Christmas is all about the time that God turned on his light switch for this
spiritually dark world. When Jesus was born the world received the light it
needed to see just what this world was really all about, to see what really is true in
this world and to see just what the creator of this whole world knew that man
needed to know to have an abundant life here on earth.
1. Before Jesus was born John the Baptist’s father, said this about Jesus who
was soon to be born – Luke 1:78-79
2. I could have used a light that night to guide my feet in that room and each
one of us needs the light that comes from God to guide our feet in this dark
world.
3. Jesus is that light and at the birth of Jesus, a great light came into a world that
was in deep spiritual darkness!
C. Turn in your Bibles, on your phones, Bibles on chairs, and share with someone to
John 1:1 where we will read this story of Jesus coming into the world as God’s
light.
1. As I read I want you to note two things:
a) Jesus – called the Word here - God’s perfect message to the world is the
true light from God
b) Also note the way man responded to this light – watch for two different
responses
2. Read v1-12
• Let’s start by looking at this idea that
I. Jesus, God’s light, came into a dark world
A. Light allows us to see. In Scripture light is associated with seeing, with knowing
and with moral and spiritual power that is healthy.
1. Often when someone does not know about something we say, “they are in the
dark,” but when they learn something new, we say the lights just went on.
2. Darkness is just the opposite as it is associated with being unable to see, not
knowing and moral and spiritual power that is unhealthy.
B. Jesus is the Light – the one that brings to us the spiritual knowledge we need to
see what is really going on in this world and to see what God really thinks, says,
does, His ways and what He wants from us.
1. Note how Light helps us see so we can be guided and not stumble! Read:
a) John 3:20-21- Light exposes and manifests what is real and true
b) John 11:9-10 – Light allows you to see so you do not stumble
c) John 12:35 – No Light, you do not know where you are going
2. So when you apply this to a spiritually dark world it means since the world is
in darkness and does not know what the truth really is about God and life.
They are stumbling all over the place spiritually and they really have no idea
where they are going spiritually!
C. Listen again to see that Jesus is the light come from God. John 1:4-5, 9.
1. Jesus is the one who shines God’s light into this world, shining it on all
mankind. He is God’s agent to bring truth to this world!
2. Note it says He is the true light – that means there must be false lights as
well, counterfeits that look like the real thing but they are not.
D. When we say that something is dark, we mean it is something that is really bad.
Morally or spiritually wicked and evil! But not all darkness is wicked and evil.
1. Listen to this 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
2. Even religion is a part of darkness if it is not consistent with the truth and
message that Jesus brought. Good people doing good things can be a part of
darkness.
3. Darkness is anything that is operating without the light of God as revealed in
His Son and His Word. It can range from moral and spiritual wickedness to
good people and religion. The comment element is they are not operating
according to the light that God has given to us in Jesus, whether what they
are doing is good or bad because it comes from man’s best wisdom rather
than God’s true light!
• And we learn in this passage this morning that there are
II. Two different responses to the Light
A. The first group ranges from people who just do not get it to those who flatly reject
Jesus.
1. First those who do not get it – Read
a) V5 – not comprehend - they just do not get it, they look at Jesus and say
what? He just does not make sense to them
b) V10 – Just not recognize who He was. They are not aware of who Jesus
was
2. Those who flatly reject Jesus who He is and what He claims. Read
a) V11 – receive Him - did not welcome Him, they did not receive who He
claimed to be or what He claimed the truth to be. They rejected Him
b) Listen what John the Baptist said about Jesus –
(1) Read John 3:31-34
(2) Jesus comes from heaven and speaks the very words of God and no
one receives it! Accepts it, they reject it. We will speak in a
moment about those who do receive and accept what Jesus says
c) Listen to what Jesus says about Himself
(1) Read John 5:43, 46-47
(2) Jesus came representing God the Father – that’s what it means to
come in my Father’s name and they did not receive Him or accept
what He said
(3) V46-47 helps us understand that simply they rejected Him and His
claims because they did not believe Him
B. But we see in v12 of John 1 the other group of people – those who received and
accepted Jesus’ claims to come from heaven to represent the Father and what He
says. Those that believed He was who He said He was.
1. Listen to John 1:12
2. Those who received, accepted, believed what Jesus claimed were given the
right to become children of God.
C. Jesus’ basic claim was that every person born into this world is born in darkness
and sin and they are separated from God. The only way out of that condition is to
believe in Jesus and what He claims and rely upon the fact that when He died on
the cross He died to pay for your sins. When He rose from the dead, He rose to
give you the very life of God so you could have the light of this world!
• Which group are you in this morning?
III. Invite
A. If in your heart of hearts this morning you are saying to yourself I do not buy
what this guy is saying, you are in the first group that either does not recognize
who Jesus is or flatly rejects His claims
B. But if in your heart of heart you are saying to yourself – everything he is saying is
true of me and I need this light that Jesus gives and I believe everything that Jesus
says about Himself and about me – then I would encourage you right now to
1. Confess – you are in the dark and separated from God
2. Admit that Jesus is the true light and that His death on the cross was to pay
for your sins and His resurrection to give you His life
3. Call out to Him right now thanking Him for dying for you and giving you
knew life so you can see the true light of life!

Christmas at MVC // Week 2

Witness is who we are, testify is what we do
John 1:6-8 December 15, 2019
I. Introduction:
A. Announce Christmas offering
B. How many of you ever had to answer this question before? “Do you swear to tell
the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help you God?”
1. If you did that means you were a witness – you were someone who had
firsthand, direct, personal knowledge about someone or something.
2. What you did is give a testimony – that is the statement you made regarding
what you were personally aware of in order to provide evidence.
C. Last week we learned that Jesus is God’s perfect message to the world, God’s
light to this spiritually dark world. The world did not understand Him or what He
was trying to communicate to us about God and His ways.
1. That introduced the section we are dealing with this Christmas in John 1:1-18
2. Please turn in your Bibles now – and share with someone who may not have
one.
D. This week the subject changes from the Jesus, God’s perfect light or message that
shined into this dark world, to that of a witness. A man named John who was sent
from God for the very purpose to be a witness of Jesus Christ!
E. Before I read this section let me show you the simple structure of the key verse
we will be looking at, v7.
1. Who he was – a witness,
2. What he did - testified,
3. Why he did it – that I want you to watch for and see if you can figure it out as
we read.
4. Read v1-8
F. Before we jump into this passage, let me remind you that John was sent by God
the Father for the purpose of being a witness of Jesus Christ, the light. Every one
of us here this morning, that is a believer, have been sent by Jesus Christ for the
same purpose of being a witness of Jesus Christ, the light.
1. Acts 1:8
2. 1 Peter 2:9
• So what we learn about John this morning has special relevance to us because it is
also true of you and me! I just want to focus on v7 this morning as we look at the
who, the what and the why of John and you and me! Let’s start by looking at the who
and the what together because they go hand in hand!
II. Who we are, and what we do!
A. A witness is who we are as believers in Jesus Christ and testifying is what we do!
Reread v7a-b
B. Let me unpack that line (a witness is who we are; testify is what we do) for just a
moment as it is crucial for our lives and ministries.
1. The word witness and testify are the exact same word in the Greek, except
one is a noun and the other is a verb!
2. A noun identifies who we are – it tells us something about ourselves, our
identity; it is the distinguishing characteristic that makes who we are distinct
from others!
3. A verb tells us what we do – the activities we engage in.
4. Just like a surgeon does surgeries and a runner runs, so a witness testifies!
C. Who we are and what we do are intimately connected to one another and one
flows out of the other. Let me illustrate that
D. 1. We had our grandson Jonny, who is three, over this week and he was going to
have a baby sister just a day or two from then. He made it very clear to me that
he was not a baby but a big boy!
a) Not long after that Jonny began some behavior that was not fitting for a
big boy so I reminded him he was not a baby but a big boy and what big
boys do. Instantly his behavior switched to fit his identity as a big boy
rather than behavior that fit a baby.
2. When we recognize who we are that identity controls our behavior as our
behavior flows out of who we see ourselves to be!
E. So what is a witness? A witness, who we are, is someone who has personal and
direct knowledge about something who provides evidence in a case. The witness
is the person, the testimony is what we do - makes a statement about what they
personally know or have seen and that statement becomes evidence in a case.
1. A witness swears to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth
because their job is not to add anything to what they know, or subtract
anything from it. Their job is not to give their opinions or speculate on the
facts.
2. Their job is to tell the truth about what they personally know!
3. Our job is to tell other the truth about what we know about Jesus and have
experienced of Him. That can come from what we know of Him from the
Bible or what we have seen Him do for us in our personal lives!
F. John was sent by God to be a witness, that is who he is, a person who had direct
knowledge about Jesus, and he testified about Jesus, that is where he told people
what he knew about Jesus! A couple examples:
1. John 1:19-23 – A “voice” that is a witness
2. John 1:29-34
G. So God created us or better said recreated us, caused us to be born again as new
creatures who are witnesses or a synonym to that is ambassadors,
1. We see who we are issuing into what we do in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
a) v17 new creatures
b) v 18 – he gave us something to do – ministry of reconciliation
c) v19 – explains this ministry – Jesus did the work of reconciliation and
we spread the word
d) v20 – therefore – in light of all of this – this is who we are
“ambassadors”
(1) we are God’s official representatives in this world
(2) as if God Himself were speaking through us passionately calling
people to come to Christ
e) v21 – the message
• So John was sent by God to be a witness, telling other people what he knew about
Jesus. Next he tells us why witnessing is so important in God’s kingdom. Let’s look
back at the end of v7 and …
III. Why we witness
A. Read v7 again.
1. Yes, it is a big deal to be a witness because it is through witnesses telling
people what they know about Jesus that people come to believe in Jesus!
2. God has chosen us to be His agents, His ambassadors, His instrument, His
means, His witnesses to tell others about the light so that they can believe
through what we testify to them, about what we know directly from our
experiences and the Bible, about Jesus.
B. We have been entrusted with the most powerful and life changing message in the
world. – The gospel of Jesus Christ.
a) Read 1 Corinthians 1:18
• So what do we do with this recognition that we are witnesses who testify of what we
know of Jesus so others can be saved
IV. Final Exhort
A. Ron Hutchcraft years ago taught us here at MVC the three open prayer that when
it becomes part of our prayer life as witnesses it will get us right in the middle of
the mix of eternal and kingdom activity.
1. It has been amazing how when I pray this way God has done exciting things
in light of it.
2. Maybe even more amazing is the question why I do not pray like this every
day!
B. Three open prayer
1. Open door – Colossians 4:2-3
2. Open mouth – Ephesians 6:19
3. Open heart – Acts 16:14
C. Are you ready when God opens that door?
1. Are you ready to talk about what you personally know or have experienced
with Jesus, especially how you came into a relationship with Him?
a) That would be time well spent to think that through for the sake of others
and the glory of God!
2. Are you ready to tell someone how they can come into a relationship with
Jesus Christ – the gospel?
a) A few helps to have on hand in wallet; purse whatever to make that
easier.
b) Gospel tract
c) Seed card – man at Costco this week – I was not ready
D. Pray three open prayer – Gary Olson

Christmas at MVC // Week 1

God’s Perfect Message
John 1:1-5   Dec 8, 2019   

1. Introduction:
   1. So what is the big deal about Christmas?
      1. Christians are working very hard to keep the word “Christmas” as part of our culture at this time of year as we wish people a “Merry Christmas” but they are losing the battle while many in our own country are working hard to remove the word Christmas and turn it into a “Happy Holiday” time.
      2. So why is the word Christmas so important to Christians?
         1. The answer is simply this: Christmas is all about Christ, not about gifts, decorations and parties.
         2. Christmas is the day that Christians celebrate God coming into this world to take up residence here among the very people He
      3. During this series, we will be looking at John 1:1-18 week by week. The heart of this section is about this: “Jesus coming into this world to reveal God!”  It starts with the fact that He is the Word and it ends with the statement that He came to explain Him.
         1. Everything in between talks about this and the fact of how man responded to Jesus’ coming.
         2. As I read this watch for these two things –
            1. First Jesus revealing, disclosing to us, pulling back the curtain for us just what God is like and what He does.
            2. Secondly how man responded to that unveiling of God!
         3. Before I read let me explain something about this whole section.
            1. It is the introduction to the whole book and it previews many of the things that will be more fully developed in the book.
            2. As you read the book, you more fully understand these concepts so that when you come back to the introduction you will better understand that part of the book and the cycle goes on!
            3. Read 1-18
         4. Today we are going to be looking at John 1:1-5 as we begin to better understand what Christmas is all about and why Jesus, God Himself, came!

• I am calling this message today “God’s perfect message was not understood by the world” Let’s start with the idea of

1. God’s perfect message
   1. I get this from the first 3 ½ verses in John 1. Let me reread 1a.
   2. The word “Word” is referring to Jesus as we read just a few minutes ago in v14 that the Word became flesh and dwelt right here on earth among us! That is referring to Jesus!
      1. It describes Jesus as “the Word”. “Word” simply means the content of a communications, the message itself
      2. In the church world, I am called a preacher the one who speaks, but my sermon is the content that I speak. It is the difference between a messenger and the message that they bring.  A singer and the song, the music and the words!
      3. This passage is not saying that Jesus is the preacher, the messenger, or the prophet but rather He Himself is the very sermon, the very message, the very content God wants people to know.
      4. He is God’s message, God’s sermon become flesh. So who He is, what He does and what He says is the perfect representation and communication of who God is, what God does and what God says!
   3. The reason that I say He is God’s perfect message is because the first 3 1/2 verses indicate strongly and clearly that the Word Himself was God Himself. As I read these first 3 ½ verses note the many ways it refers to the Word as God Himself.  Read 1-4a
      1. First of all note that it clearly states that this Word was God v1c
      2. In verse two it speaks of His eternality because it re-emphasizes what v1 said that He was in the beginning with God.
      3. Start of v4 “in Him was life” as we read the rest of John we understand the life that is referred to here is the “eternal life” “the very life of God” that only God has!
      4. John 1:1-3 is a clear allusion to Genesis 1:1
         1. Read Genesis 1:1
         2. Genesis 1:1 makes it clear that God created the heavens and the earth and here in verse 3 it is clear everything that has been created has been created through Jesus.
      5. This is not the only place in the Bible that says everything was created through or by Jesus and that He is the perfect representation of God and what He wants to say to us! turn to Heb 1:1
         1. Read Hebrews 1:1-3b
         2. You see God the Father is the source of creation; Jesus is the agent of creation as the One through whom God created everything.
      6. Thus, we see in John 1 and Hebrews 1 that Jesus as God makes the perfect flesh and blood message of just who God is, what He does, what He says and what He wants from the very people He created!
      7. Jesus as God and creator we were made by Him and for Him.
         1. Read Colossians 1:15-17
         2. “Firstborn” is a reference to His position and rights in creation not the fact that He was born or created
         3. He could not be the perfect image or exact representation of God if He was born or created because God is eternal and uncreated.

• So man has been created by Jesus and for Jesus, how did man respond to this perfect message, the perfect representation of who God is, does, says, wants? This perfect message was…
• Not understood by the world
  1. That is amazing, the picture could not be clearer, the message could not be better, the living illustration could not be more accurate yet man did not understand it.
  2. Read v4-5
  3. Light and darkness in Scripture are used primarily to indicate one of two things either moral light and darkness or knowledge.
     1. When our lifestyle is not according to the Bible it means we are walking in darkness, when it is consistent we are walking in the light
     2. And when we do not understand God’s message either in the Bible or in His Son we are in the dark and when we get it we have light
  4. This passage is indicating that Jesus came into a dark world, a world that was full of moral darkness and intellectual darkness about the things of God. He was God’s light that shined into the darkness!
     1. He was God’s knowledge, God’s sermon, God’s perfect message, God’s word to this world!
     2. Note how man responded.
        1. Read the end of v5
        2. He did not get it! He was like “what?” it flew right over his head.
        3. Comprehend – simply means understand. The Light, the perfect message was put right in front of them and they did not understand it.
     3. The Bible teaches us this is the common experience of those who do not know Jesus.
        1. Read 1 Corinthians 2:14 so that means Jesus, the Bible, the things of God are on a different frequency than the heart and mind of the man who does not know Jesus. Spiritual things are comprehended at a supernatural level, spiritual FM frequency; the natural man, the person without God, operates on an AM frequency!  
        2. Read 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 – Man is blind! There is a big difference between being blind and blindfolded.
           1. Blindfolded means you have the capacity to see but something is blocking your view. Remove the blindfold and you will see.
           2. Blind means you do not even have the capacity to see. Remove the blindfold and you still will not see
        3. Reread 2 Corinthians 4:4 – Satan is the one who blinded them – so this is a supernatural thing.
        4. Bottom line a person who does not know Jesus is on a different frequency, and does not even have the capacity to understand and comprehend spiritual things. On top of it, Satan is sealing all of that in.
     4. The world had Jesus, God’s Word, God’s Perfect Message walking and talking right in front of them and they missed it, they did not get it, they did not understand Him, they could not, they did not even have the capacity to since they are on a different spiritual frequency and Satanically blinded.

• So what does that mean to you and me?

1. Application
   1. First, we must recognize deep within our hearts that someone’s salvation is a miracle performed by God that is as big as the resurrection of Jesus Christ or the miraculous birth of Jesus being born of a virgin. A miracle that will give man a new frequency in his heart and mind, give him sight to his spiritually blind eyes and bind Satan from holding him back
      1. Read John 1:12-13
      2. We will speak more about that on Christmas Eve
   2. But if you are here this morning and deep in your heart, you say I want that, I am beginning to see it that is evidence that God is drawing you to Himself, He is at work to begin that miracle in your life.
      1. Invite to believe

 

The struggle is real // Week 11

The struggle is real // Week 10

The Streuggle is real // Week 9

The Struggle is real // Week 8

 Grief
Lamentations November 10, 2019   

1. Introduction:
   1. Power point of 75^th images on our FB page that people can save and make the image their phone background as a reminder!
   2. One man described grief like this
      1. As for grief, you’ll find it comes in When the ship is first wrecked, you’re drowning, with wreckage all around you. Everything floating around you reminds you of the beauty and the magnificence of the ship that was, and is no more. All you can do is float. You find some piece of the wreckage and you hang on for a while. Maybe it’s some physical thing. Maybe it’s a happy memory or a photograph. Maybe it’s a person who is also floating. For a while, all you can do is float. Stay alive.
      2. In the beginning, the waves are 100 feet tall and crash over you without mercy. They come 10 seconds apart and don’t even give you time to catch your breath. All you can do is hang on and float. After a while, maybe weeks, maybe months or years, you’ll find the waves are still 100 feet tall, but they come further apart. When they come, they still crash all over you and wipe you out. However, in between, you can breathe, you can function. You never know what’s going to trigger the grief. It might be a song, a picture, a street intersection, the smell of a cup of coffee. It can be just about anything…and the wave comes crashing. But in between waves, there is life.
      3. Somewhere down the line, and it’s different for everybody, you find that the waves are only 80 feet tall or 50 feet tall. While they still come, they come further apart. You can see them coming; an anniversary, a birthday, or Christmas, or landing at O’Hare. You can see it coming, for the most part, and prepare yourself. When it washes over you, you know that somehow you will, again, come out the other side. Soaking wet, sputtering, still hanging on to some tiny piece of the wreckage, but you’ll come out.
   3. Grief is the emotional and mental response to loss (loss of a job, a relationship, a dream, a loved one’s life, etc.)! This loss sets off numerous emotions at the same time a series of conflicting thoughts, which all seem to be on steroids. 
      
       
   4. The book of Lamentations is about the deep grief the people of Jerusalem felt after God used Babylon to destroy the city Jerusalem, broke down their walls of defense, burned the temple, the king’s house and every house in the city, and took the people captive back to Babylon. They knew their own sin brought all this on! 
   5. While the whole book details out the condition of the city and the people, let’s get a general feel for it by just looking at a few summary verses
      1. Read 1:1, 3
      2. On top of that
         1. There was destruction everywhere and it touched everyone.
         2. Bodies were lying in the streets of both young and old who were slain by both the sword and by the hunger of famine
         3. To get a feel for what they were feeling think back of the images you saw the morning after the Twin Towers came down in New York on Sept 11, 2001

• Now let’s look at the condition of the people who had lost so much
• The Condition of the People
  1. It said:
     1. They were mourning and moaning and tears ran down like a river day and night.
     2. They were full of bitterness, greatly troubled and depressed in the core of their beings without hope or joy.
     3. Their strength failed and they were faint all day long, they were worn out and found no rest.
     4. Then the book is closed with this prayer.   Read 5:19-22
  2. The grieving soul is not always pretty and is full of many conflicting thoughts and emotions.
• How do you minister to someone like this, or if you are the person how do you find your bearings at a time like that? Actually the book of Lamentations gives us  
• Two pillars of truth that sustain us in grief!
  3. The first is to set my mind on God’s loving kindness and compassion. Turn to Lamentations 3.
     1. Read 3:21-24
     2. What gives us hope again is to redirect our thoughts back to the Lord’s loving kindness and His compassion and His faithfulness and that in the midst of the pain, daily He will give fresh mercies for what you need
        1. Loving kindness has to do with God’s love towards us based on our covenant relationship with Him. He is faithful to His promises to care for us
        2. Compassion has to do with God’s love towards us based upon the fact that His heart is moved towards us when He sees us in need!
        3. It is not just His promise to care for us but His heart for us that moves Him to meet us daily in our needs!
     3. Knowing this is true to wait upon the Lord for the deliverance He will bring. Read 25-26.
  4. The second truth that helps us regain our bearings in the middle of grief is recognizing God’s sovereignty - that nothing touches our life apart from God directing it or allowing it for purposes that are often higher than we can understand! Read 3:37-38
  5. Lon Alison, formerly the executive director of the Billy Graham Center, after being diagnosed with very aggressive liver cancer he was asked, “How this has impacted his faith and view of God?” He said,
     1. I have clung to two truths to sustain me. First is the sovereignty of God:  The second great truth is His love for me and my family:  
     2. The sovereignty of God means He has authority over this situation. He has allowed this cancer to strike me. He can cure it in a nanosecond, or allow it to grow within me. He is in charge.
     3. The love of God reminds me of His goodness lavished upon me and mine with His love. He is not a tyrant God, nor an absent God. His love is always present and extravagant. Those twin doctrines sustain me.

• The Book of Lamentations

1. Confirms three things for those who are suffering!
   1. First God’s love and God’s sovereignty help you regain your bearings in the midst of grief!    
   2. Second, it is a battle to turn your mind from the pain of your circumstances to the Lord!
   3. Finally, God’s daily compassions and faithfulness will carry you through your grief!
2. Interview
   1. I have asked four people who have recently gone through the deep experience of grief to share their story with us!

The Struggle is Real // Week 7

Guilt and Shame
Various Passages November 3, 2019
I. Introduction:
A. Sin not only deeply impacts the quality of our life and relationships but it leaves a
deep imprint our own souls regarding our own identity (how we view ourselves,
who we think we are) and makes our conscious carry the heavy weight of guilt!
B. Today I want to address guilt and shame.
1. Guilt is that feeling that I have done something wrong.
2. Shame is that feeling that I am wrong.
a) That deeply feeling that I am no good, defective, unacceptable, even
damaged beyond repair.
C. While guilt and shame are closely intertwined with each other, I want to separate
them this morning because God’s answer to each one is slightly different.
D. As I move into this today, let’s start with
II. Shame
A. Shame is the feeling that I am bad, I am wrong, I am evil! it is about who you are,
specifically who you see yourself to be
1. Shame makes you hide who you really are and what you have done from
others thinking if they knew the real you they would never like you.
B. Shame first appears in the garden after Adam and Eve sinned by eating of the fruit
that God told them not to eat. Read Gen 3:7-10
C. Note especially that their first response was to make themselves loin coverings out
of fig leaves to hide intimate parts of their body from each other but also they
sought to hide from the presence of God. Point out 7c, 8b, 10b
1. But listen to how God provided for them in their new state of sin and shame.
2. Read v21 – God provided for them garments of skins
D. We can see two things here that deal with our shame-
1. First, the sacrifice of an innocent animal to cover the sins of Adam and Eve
2. Secondly, the skin of that sacrifice was made into garments to cover their
shame and nakedness! He gave them clothing
E. And that is exactly what God has done for us today in Jesus
1. Not only has God given Jesus as the sacrifice to pay the death penalty for our
sins
2. But He has also offered that same sacrifice, Jesus as our new clothing to
cover our shame
3. Gal 3:27-28
a) Those of us who are in Christ have been clothed with Jesus Christ
b) When God sees us He no longer sees us according to our nationality,
social status or gender or even our sins but rather He sees Jesus when He
looks at us
F. Clothes have the ability to give us a new identity, a new look and to cover up the
parts of our life that we do not want others to see!
1. A few months back I wore a pair of Nike’s on a Sunday morning. I was
amazed at the number of young people that noticed and commented how cool
I was for wearing them.
a) The kind of clothes we wear gives us a new identity as often people
value and identify us by the clothes we wear!
2. Also, clothing covers what we do not want others to see!
a) I had numerous people at my daughter’s wedding tell me how good I
looked and I did look much better than usual as a tuxedo does wonders
for a man.
b) But, I could not help but think of what people would have said if I did
my daughter’s wedding in a bathing suit – not as much hidden, not as
much pretty.
G. God has provided for me a new set of clothing to deal with my shame and the
label on that clothing is Jesus! He covers my sin and is my new identity!
H. So “God’s solution to shame is the clothing of Jesus!” Let me repeat. You repeat!
• Let’s now take a look at the emotional damage sin does in the area of
III. Our Guilt!
A. Guilt is the awareness and the feeling that I did something wrong and it is
connected with our conscience
B. The foundation that every believer in Jesus Christ stands on is that all of our sins,
past, present and future have already been paid for by Jesus Christ in His death
and they are forgiven forever.
1. Listen to Hebrews 10:11-12.
2. The penalty for our sin has already been paid, but the consequences of our
daily sins are felt deep within our souls.
B. It is the blood of Jesus reapplied to our conscience that deals with our guilt!
Remember the penalty is already paid; now we are dealing with the consequences
of our daily sins upon our emotions and conscience!
1. 1 John 1:9
2. Ps 32:1-5
C. So, while “God’s solution to shame is the clothing of Jesus!” on the other hand
“God’s solution to guilt is the cross of Jesus!”
• So how do these truths seek deep within our souls to change the way we see ourselves
and release us from the heavy load of guilt we are carrying. We need to
II. Reckon what God says is true as true for you!
A. Reckoning simply means to count what God has already said is true as true for
you.
1. In the first ten verses of Romans 6 God states all these amazing truths that
happened to us at the cross of Jesus then He tells us in verse 11 to count, to
consider, to reckon these same truths as true of us.
2. I cannot name and claim things that I want to be true in my life, but I do
name and claim the things that God says are already true about me! So yes, I
am a “name it and claim it guy” – I name and claim everything that God says
is true of me “in Jesus”!
B. So regarding my shame I put on the clothing of Christ by:
1. Daring to believe what God says is true of me! I see myself, as I really am a
new creature in Christ at the core of my being, a saint!
a) Yes, a saint who still sins, but not just a dirty rotten sinner at my core,
who has been forgiven.
2. One practical tool that could help you with this is a card that is our small
groups ministry created and is using. If you are struggling with shame, begin
to pray through these different truths about you in Christ! Praise through
them, thank God for each one, meditate and memorize the passages that are
especially relevant to you.
C. When it comes to reckoning the cross of Jesus regarding my guilt. I thank God
that forgiveness is already mine and I confess my sins to experience the cleansing
of my conscience!
• As we go to
III. Communion
A. Today let us make Ps 139:23-24 our prayer. He is appropriating in prayer what
God said is already true. He is asking God to make that truth personal in his life.
Cr v1
B. Ask God if there are any hurtful way of shame or guilt within you.
1. If it is shame ask Him to lead you to the piece of clothing in Jesus you need
to put on, claim as your own and mediate on it
2. If it is guilt over unconfessed sin regarding something you have done,
confess it to God and experience the cleansing of your conscience
3. If it is guilt over something you are just not clear on what you did but just
have this general sense of guilt then I would identify it as false guilt from the
Devil!
a) God’s conviction by the Holy Spirit is never unclear and vague but clear
and direct regarding the sin, you will know what you did!
b) Satan’s false guilt is always unclear & vague it does not need to be
confessed but rather resisted in the name of Jesus!
C. Pass elements and time to reflect before the Lord

The Struggle is Real // Week 6

Pastor Pat speaks on Depression as we continue our series, "The Struggle is Real."