http://bible.com/events/7186638
April 12 – Easter Sunday
Free From Yesterday, Part 1: Shame
Many of us are prisoners of our past
o the things we have done
o the things that have been done to us
o Some would say, “I’m free of everything, except my past.” The truth is, if you can’t get free from your past, you can’t get free of anything.
The statement we will continue to come back to throughout this series:
Your past has no more power over you than what you give it.
Philippians 3:10-14 (NIV)
Paul wants to know Christ in two specific ways:
o The power of His resurrection – The resurrection was not a past event, but rather it was a present reality in the life of the believer
o The participation in His sufferings – Jesus did not come as a conquering king, but rather His power was found in serving, in humility, and in weakness, even if it led to suffering
Knowing Christ in this way means we identify with Christ:
o Identify with his death – a death to self
o Identify with his resurrection – a resurrection to real life
The Easter message connects directly with power over your past
o Paul is forgetting what is behind, and He is moving forward
o It is removing the power of what’s behind to hinder him in the now. It is not removing the actual memory of the past, but its weight
o Easter holds the promise of freedom from your past – “It was for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1)
For many the burden of shame seems to heavy for true freedom to be possible
o Shame is the belief that we are flawed and therefor unworthy of love and belonging
o Believing that “I’m unlovable” and “I don’t belong”
John 8:2-11 (NIV)
o The message from the religious leaders to this woman was clear: “Shame on you”
o For Jesus there is a clear difference between conviction and condemnation
o Conviction corrects…condemnation shames….
Romans 8:1-2
Our church’s definition of The Gospel:
The Gospel is the good news message that God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. He was raised to life, victorious over the power of death. In choosing to live for Him, we can be free from the power of sin and experience abundant life today and eternal life in Heaven
The Gospel message is not a message of condemnation
o Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins
o On Easter he roster again, overcoming death, conquering sin and shame
o No matter what our past is, we can experience freedom in Christ today
The power of God overcame the power of shame.
Other Verses for Study & Reflection:
Galatians 5:1
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Isaiah 54:4
Romans 10:11