THIS SUMMER LET’S NOT TAKE A GUILT TRIP! Let’s LIGHTEN THE LOAD by taking a summer trip to learn the truth about guilt. Many people are weighted down and burdened by guilt and shame. Put your “guilt” radar up –– you’ll be shocked at how often guilt influences your life. Romans 8:1 NLT So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
GUILT Trip: NUMB TO GUILT!
Pastor Tom Cogle
Sunday, June 30, 2024
1 Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.
A SEARED CONSCIENCE
1. We lose all feeling and AWARENESS that what we are doing is wrong or sin.
2. We’re NUMB to feeling guilty or having remorse for our actions.
3. We have LIED so often that our conscience malfunctions and our heart hardens.
4. It’s an INDIFFERENCE to sin, a rationalization of wrongdoing, and a diminished capacity to feel conviction.
5. It’s resistance to CORRECTION.
6. It’s elevating ourselves as the GOD of our world with the false belief we can do no wrong.
· The Word of God must be the ultimate AUTHORITY of our life regardless of our feelings, thoughts, or impressions.
·
Joseph’s Brothers – Genesis 37
Tenderhearted David
1 Samuel 24:5-7 But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the LORD’s anointed one, for the LORD himself has chosen him.” 7 So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul.
· Hard-hearted David
2 Samuel 12:5-9
Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
2 Samuel 12:13 Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
HOW TO SEAR OUR CONSCIENCE
1. REPETITIVE sin.
2. PRIDE and stubbornness. “I’m the authority figure of my life.”
3. Lack of REPENTANCE.
4. Overexposure to the WORLD.
5. Limited or no exposure to the Word of God.
6. QUARANTINED from other followers of Christ.
7. Avoidance of God’s presence and walking in DARKNESS.
Proverbs 4:19 But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.
HOW TO RESTORE OUR CONSCIENCE
1. We acknowledge SIN as sin.
2. We’re HUMBLE and teachable. “God is the ultimate authority figure in my life.”
Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
3. We REPENT and ask for forgiveness.
Matthew 27:3-5 When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” “What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.” 5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.
1 John 1:8-9 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
4. We daily dress for BATTLE.
Ephesians 6:10-11 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
4. We renew our mind to the Word.
John 17:14-17 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.
Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
6. We BUILD community and accountability with other believers.
Acts 4:32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.
Hebrews 10:24-25: “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”
7. We dwell in God’s presence and grow in the LIGHT of His
Son.
James 4:8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you.
Psalm 91:14-16 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. 15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. 16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”
John 15:4-5 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
A CLEAR CONSCIENCE
1 Timothy 3:9 They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.
Hebrews 13:18 Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do.
Psalm 51:1-13
· The Word of God must be the ultimate authority of our life regardless of our feelings, thoughts, or impressions.
1. What stood out to you from this message?
2. Describe a time when you were numb to guilt.