Ghosts of Christmas Past – Shame

Calvary Grace Assembly of God
Dec 10 – 17, 2017

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Ghosts of Christmas Past – Shame
Have you noticed that Christmas is a time that really tends to magnify things?
If there’s something good Christmas season tends to magnify the good and makes things even better.
At the same time Christmas can also magnify the difficult times.
What might be a little painful during the year seems to be incredibly painful during Christmastime?
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Series: GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST
Part 2: Shame
Texts: Isaiah 54:4, 1 John 1:9, Joshua 5:9
Pastor Tom Cogle
Sunday, December 10, 2017

Around Christmas time and the holidays, a lot of people seem to battle shame from the past even more than other times of the year. Shame is a soul crushing, identity warping emotion.

GUILT IS: I DID BAD.
SHAME IS: I AM BAD.

SHAME-BASED THINKING

•We are vulnerable to perfectionism. We attempt to silence our shame with error-free performances and find it difficult to admit failure.

•We are critical of ourselves making us critical of others. We see our faults mirrored in others. We become judgmental of others and are perceived as self-righteous or arrogant.

•We use self-defeating thoughts as a form of protection and escape. We focus on the worst possible outcome, sabotaging opportunities and relationships.

THE ONLY WAY TO HEAL FROM SHAME IS TO MOVE THE FOCUS FROM WHAT I’M NOT TO WHO CHRIST IS.

BECAUSE OF CHRIST
•I AM NOT ____________.
•BECAUSE OF CHRIST I AM ______________.

Isaiah 54:4
“Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Joshua 5:9
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.