Grace That Is Greater Than All Our Guilt (so shout it from the roof tops)
There are some folks that treat guilt and condemnation like they are two of the gifts of the Spirit. While we don’t want live there, in the camp of guilt and condemnation, we want to learn how to allow guilt to have it’s rightful place as it does it’s assigned work in our lives… Hello, everyone, we are all guilty of sin, we are all guilty of falling short, we have all failed and Broken most of the 10 commandments…. But there is a Jewish feast, that is all about facing your guilt and letting it serve its purpose in your life…
With the feast of Rosh Hashana coming in October I want to quote an article from Jewish Rabbi, JOSEPH AARON, About the importance of this major observance for the Jewish nation, which begins on the evening of Sunday, October 2nd – October 4th this year. It is the Jewish New Year, when the nation spends time in repentance and self-evaluation for how they have lived their lives in the past year so they can enter the new year better than they left the old.
Rabbi Joseph Aaron says, “I come before you, as we approach Rosh Hashana, in praise of guilt. Good, old fashioned, hit you right in the kishkes guilt. Guilt that makes you feel bad, makes you think about what you did, makes you feel, well, guilty that you did it. Guilt has gotten a bad rap lately. It's been seen to be wrong, antiquated, not for today. In an age when everything is a lifestyle choice, when everyone is so about feelings (if it feels good do it), when self-actualization is where it's at, when political correctness rules, when being judgmental is something out of the Stone Age, when tolerance is the highest value, when doing your own thing is the greatest good, there's no place for guilt.
Even worse is that folks don't feel guilty about not feeling guilty, and no one blushes and feels ashamed anymore. If we did, of course, that would be a start. Without guilt, we are lost as a people. We need guilt, not in the neurotic way, but in the healthy way that is demonstrated throughout Jewish history and encouraged by Jewish tradition. If we go astray, guilt is the guide that gets us back on track. It lets us know something's wrong and that something needs to be done to make it right. Without that guiding force, and without guilt, we simply go our merry way, oblivious to the fact that what we are or aren't doing isn't a good thing and it isn't good for us.
Rosh Hashana is all about facing our guilt head-on. We may be able to ignore it, obscure it, justify it all year, but when Rosh Hashana rolls around, there's no more running, no place to hide. That which makes us feel guilty is telling us that we must take responsibility for it, make amends as a result of it and vow to never do it again. That is why Rosh Hashana is ultimately such a joyous, wonderful time.
It lets us repair things while we're still aware enough to know they need fixing. As long as we feel guilt, there is hope for us. Rosh Hashana gives us the opportunity to find our guilt, focus on our guilt, and look it straight in the face. Having done that, we can feel more fully alive, in the freedom of grace and go forward, renewed and rejuvenated and ready for a new year”. (end of quote)
If guilt has a purpose, it is to drive us into the arms of Grace! It is not the will of God for any born-again Christian to practice sin. But, if a Christian does sin, there is a surplus of righteousness which the grace of God, through Jesus Christ has provided. And the supply will never run out! He’s got you covered!
When it comes to a contest between guilt and grace, grace wins every Time!!! The blood of Jesus Christ has been offered in the holiest of holies in Heaven. This means that the things that take place here, cannot touch it, effect it, diminish it, weaken it, or cancel it out!
Matthew 6:19 says it is laid up for us, where moth and rust cannot corrupt, and where thieves cannot break through and steal it…. You see, when we try to keep it in the earth realm, (and that’s what guilt and condemnation want to do)….get you to keep it, here and out of the heavenlies, (in heaven where it cannot be affected by the things of earth). Satan knows he can’t touch it in the heavenlies, where it is secure…. but he wants to keep it into the realms of your unworthiness mind set, then he can steal you blind!
It’s would be like someone who plants a garden, and keeps digging up the seed to see if it’s growing, and it never does. I know at times it’s just too good to be true, but leave it alone! Faith must let Grace do it’s work, when human effort has done it’s part of simply asking, then believing and receiving.
Romans 8:31-34 "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies, Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even now at the right hand of God, who also is presently making intercession for us. " Stop letting guilt and condemnation keep digging up your seed!.....
I want to look at the struggles with guilt and failure that Peter, a leading apostle of the faith, went through as he developed in his faith. Peter knew what it was like to go through trials and have his faith tested. And he knew what condemnation does to a person. Jesus warned him, after the Lord’s supper which they celebrated together in the upper room, that the night ahead would sift him as he had never been sifted before…listen to his response…
Luke 22:33 “And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison, and to death”. Notice, the mistake Peter made…. He confused the love in his heart, with the strength of his will, though he loved deeply, his will was not as strong as his love….. but that miss-step caused him to… 1. mistake presumption for faith…2. Warm himself by the enemies’ fire (his need to survive was stronger than his understanding of God’s grace) 3. He denied Christ three times with cursing…4. He didn’t want to even be recognized as being one of those Jesus’ followers..5. Then, He hid behind locked doors for fear that being a Christian might cost him something, that he wasn’t willing to pay…..and finally, 6. He turned back to his old life of fishing, when Jesus didn’t meet his expectations.
(whatever you get, outside the will of God, you will have to stay outside of the will of God in order to keep it)
Luke 22:31 “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to sift (sin-ee-ad'-zo… break down, divide, separate, weaken) you as wheat that he may have you (ex-ahee-teh'-om-ahee…remove prosecute, destroy, eliminate, discredit, & silence) you v32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not: and when you are converted (ep-ee-stref'-o.. turned around, reestablished, change direction, made right again) strengthen your brethren”.
As we see how Christ delivered Peter from his guilt, It will help us in dealing with our own struggles with guilt. John's account of the conversation Jesus had, shows Peter insisting that if everyone else left, he would indeed follow Jesus…… *…John 13:36 “Peter said unto him, Lord, where are You going? Jesus answered him, where I go, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow me afterwards”.
Jesus saw what was coming to sift Peter, but He also, prophesied that he would overcome in the power of the Spirit! The grace of God has prophesied over and into our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, if they would just receive it….that there is a victorious outcome, which the power of guilt and condemnation cannot destroy!
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the sweet fragrance of His grace and knowledge by us in every place.
What Christ has done in dealing with our guilt and condemnation, can be illustrated by a great and good man who went to a grocery store and asked to pay his debt. The bookkeeper, in scanning the records, discovered that there was no indebtedness at all written against him in that store. She further noted that there never had been an indebtedness written against this great, wealthy man. When she informs him of this, his reply is simply, "Then let me pay a debt I do not owe. It may be that someone may come in, even today who owes a debt that he cannot pay. Let the credit which I leave here on the books be transferred to their account."
Now, let’s suppose that the same day, a poor man, homeless and on the streets, seeks to make a small purchase of bread, milk and ham, to make himself a sandwich. He would certainly be turned away when he asked that these items be charged against his account. He would be informed that nothing could be charged to him until he paid what he already owed. Perhaps he is at the point of turning away when the cashier informs him that she was just notified that there had been a credit left on the books for this situation. At his request, the credit left on the books by the good, wealthy man would be transferred to cover the homeless man’s account, and would be extended to all he might need in the future. At Jesus’ death, that’s what He did for us…
His grace provided a surplus of righteousness that was laid up for our future needs. This righteousness is transferred to our account as we repent and apply for His freely given grace, as we ask in faith we partake of the victory which Jesus purchased for us on the cross.
Let me give you a list of at least ten things, Jesus never has and never will say about you….1. You’re too far gone to be saved.. 2. I am very disappointed in you… 3.This wouldn’t be happening if you were a better Christian… 4. It’s OK not to love some people… 5. It’s all up to you… 6. You don’t have to forgive someone who hurt you that much… 7. You missed my will for your life… 8. I’ve given up on you… 9. This is a cross you must bear alone…10. You’re not worthy.
Condemnation is from the accuser, while conviction that is by grace, brings restoration from our heavenly attorney, who represents us before God twenty four seven! Guilt pulls you down, diminishes you, and steals your potential, while Grace sets you free!!!
There are a lot of folks who approach repentance with “Lord I want you to make me pure, but not yet! (not yet Lord!)
There is true grace, but there is a teaching that says, because God loves you, you can do anything you want and you’ll still get all the benefits!...It’s like saying, “Because I live in America, I’m a Christian”! While It is true….that no matter what you do God will love you, still His favor comes when we love the Lord enough to be passionate about what He loves and move away from what He hates. Grace gives us the power to say No!
Reformation always precedes Revival….Revival may change the label, but reformation changes the contents within the can!….
John Newton said “ Not just the guilt, but the love of sin and it’s dominion are taken away and subdued by grace, and it is cordially denounced by the believing, pardoned sinner.”
The cross is our “Aha moment” of realizing that man is without hope until he freely receives the gift of Divine Grace! The cross is God’s way of saying “I hope that someday you’ll grasp just how loved you really are”!!! Praise God, He will always respond by His Grace to every area of guilt, condemnation and unworthiness that we feel…. Guilt and shame say that because we are flawed, we are not worthy. But Grace says that we are flawed, so we are loved and cherished.
When I see a special needs child, I may not even know them, but my heart reaches out in love to them. We should just get over it, and come to the Lord, and say, “Lord here I am, I’m flawed, I’m broken, but I am your special needs child” ! YOU ARE LOVED AND ACCEPTED!
(1) To the sense of WORTHLESSNESS…He says • Genesis 1:26-27 ….We are made in the very image of God.. Mark 12:12…We are highly valued by God .
(2) To the Fear of PUNISHMENT and JUDGMENT… He says Isaiah 53:5….All punishment for our sins was placed on Christ Romans 3:25….He was our sacrifice which satisfied the wrath of God against sin ….1 John 4:15-18….There remains no more judgment for those who remain in Jesus Christ .
(3). For the Feeling of REJECTION and ABANDONMENT….. He says Romans 8:31-39….No one and nothing can separate us from the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus..Hebrews 13:5….We have God’s promise that He will never leave us or forsake us or reject us.
God saw what Peter did and knew that even though his faith had failed him, Peter still loved Him with all his heart. Luke 22:62 says that Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
We all can recall times in our past when yes, we loved God but we had problems with our will power. As a result, because we did not condition our will to respond to and choose what was pleasing to God, we did and said things which we would not have otherwise done. Look at one of the conversations that are recorded in scripture, that is a window into the heart of Peter…
John 21:15 “When they dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, do you love Me more than these? He said unto Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said unto him, feed my lambs”.
Jesus knew that Peter’s will, was still being trained and brought under control of the Spirit… His heart was right, but his will was still being developed in its Christ likeness….
The knowledge of good and evil, is not enough by itself, to do the good and refuse the evil… The will must be trained and brought under the rule of the Spirit, in order to walk in the spirit and not obey the flesh! Adam and Eve had direct knowledge and revelation from God, and everything they needed was provided but they had no will power!
I love the way the angel informed the disciples that Jesus was waiting to meet with them, after the resurrection…
Mark 16:7 “Go your way, tell His disciples and Peter, He has gone before you into Galilee, there you will see Him, as He said unto you”.
He was letting Peter know, that even though he had failed, he was included as he repented and allowed grace to fully restore him!
Falling down doesn’t make you a failure, it’s staying down, that makes you a failure. No one ever failed so badly that God’s grace wasn’t able to bring them out and on top!
We know that Peter went on to become one of the leading apostles of the church, and many were brought into the kingdom, through the lessons he had learned about overcoming guilt and condemnation..
We all have failed, we all have fallen way short, we all have felt some level of regret at times…(so don’t judge someone else because they sin differently than you do) But the great news today, is that while you were going through all that, Jesus was praying for you, and prophesying victory and an awesome outcome in your life!
After Jesus had asked Peter about his love…Look at how he concluded the conversation…John 21:19 “And when He had spoken this, He said unto him, FOLLOW ME”… It was time to move forward, lay aside all the weights, and distractions and go forth…
We cannot afford to allow guilt to keep us from where Grace wants to lead us and favor is waiting to open doors for us! There comes that moment when we meet with Jesus, and it’s time to put it all behind us… and follow Him!
Jesus told Peter, that when his faith failed him, He was praying for him….the word “pray”, in the text, is the Greek word, (deh'-om-ahee.. to bind yourself to…)
Paul uses this word in Hebrews 2:18 “In that Jesus Himself has suffered being tempted, He is able to succour (deh'-om-ahee) them that are tempted”….This nautical term describes….When a ship was taking on water and it looked like it was going to sink.. another vessel will tie itself to the sinking boat, so that they can then, together, make it safely to harbor. 1 John 2:1 “if we sin, we have an advocate (par-ak'-lay-tos.. one who represents us, our attorney, our counselor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
There’s a song that says…. “Cause when we see you we find strength to face the day, and in your presence all our fears are washed away, (repeat) washed away….Hosannah, Hosannah, you are the God who saves us worthy of all our praises.. Hosannah, Hosannah, Come have Your way among us, we welcome You Lord Jesus….
Hebrew 10:12 “And Jesus, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. v13 From that place He fully expects all His enemies shall be made His footstool”.
When His enemies become your friends, you will be pulled into the matrix of their defeat! When His enemies are your enemies, you will have overwhelming victory!
I believe Jesus is asking all of us today… who will follow me to the next level of a Christ like will? Who will show the world that I really am who I said I was and that my Grace is enough?
Maybe like doubting Thomas, you’ve been waiting to work through the feelings of unworthiness and maybe it’s been doubts and guilt that have kept you out….
Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand…”
A certain governor granted a pardon to a condemned man, but the man refused to accept it. The governor stated “a pardon refused, is grace never received.” Grace is yours, but if you do not receive it, it is as though it never existed, for you!
When we begin with repentance, we will end with Hosannahs!! *….The Song says ….”Mercy there was great and grace was free, pardon there was multiplied to me. There my burden soul found liberty, at Calvary”!
