Living without guilt
It was about a month ago when a man in Amsterdam felt that he needed to confess, so went to his priest:
"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. During WWII I hid a refugee in my attic."
"Well," answered the priest, "that's not a sin."
"But I made him agree to pay me 20 Guilders for every week he stayed."
"I admit that wasn't good, but you did it for a good cause."
"Oh, thank you, Father; that eases my mind. I have one more question..."
"What is that, my son?"
"Do I have to tell him the war is over?"
A man with a guilty conscience!
Are you carrying some guilt today?
Do you have dark secrets?
Are there things you have done that are eating away at the inside of you?
It is not God’s intention that you should leave this morning the same as you came in!
Splinters – thistles etc – take a needle and some tweezers and get then out – not meant to be a part of me – medical term is “foreign body”
If you are a Christian then guilt is a foreign body – it should not be a part of us!
Look in a Bible index/concordance/computer search for the word guilt and you will find that nearly all the occurrences are in the OT with very few in the NT
The Old Covenant was a covenant of guilt – fail to obey the Law and you are guilty – cover your guilt with an animal sacrifice – repeat as necessary
The New Covenant is a covenant of freedom from guilt – guilt is removed by the blood of Jesus
If you are carrying guilt it is because you have not yet received the forgiveness that Jesus paid for by his death on the cross
Death and taxes are unavoidable – guilt is optional!
Hebrews 10:1-4 The law makes people guilty – it shows us that we fall short of God’s holiness
There was also the provision of acceptable sacrifices to cover up the guilt – to prevent the people from being destroyed by a holy and righteous God
V5-7 Jesus came to bring something different!
V6-9 A new thing! Freedom from guilt is a new thing – something that many in the world have not yet realised is available
V10 It is the will of God that you be made holy through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ
Note that it doesn’t say that it’s God’s will for you to be made holy through a great deal of effort on your part! (This is the common understanding of mankind)
V11 Endless religious practice but sin remains
Can you identify with this?
You come to church, you pray, you try and be good yet sin and guilt remain
V12-14 Sat down – finished – done – nothing more is needed
V15-18 A new covenant – a work of the Holy Spirit that transforms us rather than just covering sins over with sacrifices
V19-25 The consequence of understanding the preceding verses
Faith and confidence rather than guilt
V22 Draw near – full assurance – no guilty conscience
This is God’s plan for you
The devil however has an alternative plan – the exact opposite:
Keep your distance – doubt – guilt
He would like you to believe that you are not worthy to approach God
He would like you to doubt that you are accepted
He would like you to continue to carry a burden of guilt
It is because of this that the author of Hebrews has to remind us to draw near to God
It is because of this that we need to be reminded of the importance of meeting together and encouraging one another
Remember guilt is a foreign body – it should not be a part of you
Computer – going slow – wondering whether I needed a new one – found a fix – changed on small part and it was as good as new
For a long time I put up with it as it was – didn’t know that there was a fix
There is a fix for guilt! It is called repentance. Three aspects – three questions…
Question 1: Have you ever surrendered your life to Jesus Christ and received the gift of life?
Come across a broken down car – do need to ask the very basic questions – is there any petrol in the tank? If so, is it a petrol engine (not good if it is a diesel car!) Is there oil and water?
If the essentials are not in place there is no point looking at anything else
Guilt is a foreign body if you are a Christian – if you are not yet a Christian then it is normal!
Heb. 10:16-18
The natural state of mankind is guilty – guilty of sin – fallen short of the glory of God
We need to be made new by the Spirit of God
John 3:3 Need to be born again – the old needs to die and we need to receive new life
Need to receive the gift of life
Guilt is not something that you can remove by your own effort – freedom is something that only God can give
Freedom was made possible when Jesus died on the cross – he took guilt and shame to the cross and it is at the cross that you can find freedom
Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Eph. 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no-one can boast.
Need to humble yourself, admit your need and receive from Jesus
NB It is important to continue to confess the right answer to this question – remind yourself and the devil that you are born again!
Question 2: Are you walking in obedience?
Walking along and become aware of stone in shoe – uncomfortable – can I wriggle it into a place where I can’t feel it? Can I shake it out?
Answer is invariably no – need to stop and remove shoe
If you are doing something that you know to be wrong then you will feel guilty!
Heb. 10:24 Love and good deeds
You have a God given conscience that will respond with guilt when you disobey God – this is what it is meant to do
Need to understand though that there is right guilt that leads to repentance but there is also wrong guilt that is just destructive
Guilt is never meant to be a persistent state – it is meant to bring us back in line not to keep us in a miserable place
If you are feeling guilty because you are being disobedient then there is one simple answer – start being obedient
If however you are feeling guilty about something that God has not spoken to you about then this is wrong guilt
The devil and other people can inflict wrong guilt on you – remember you are not answerable to them but to God
What others think of you is not important – whether or not you are obedient to God is what matters
No reward for uncommanded works!
Don’t be guilt led – be Spirit led
Very fashionable to feel guilty when you see pictures of people in the poorer parts of the world who have so little when we have so much
This isn’t God’s plan for us though – need to move from guilt to compassion
What we see should move us but then we need to ask, “Lord, what shall I do” and then do it
If we know we have been obedient then guilt disappears
If you “know you ought to…” then do it!
Question 3: Do you really understand forgiveness?
Base of my spine there is a 6” long scar – reminder of an operation that took place on April 1 st 1997 to repair the damage I had done to my back
The scar will always be there but I can poke it and it doesn’t hurt
I can remember what it was like to lie on the floor in agony before the operation
I can remember what it was like not to be able to sit in a chair
BUT – I don’t wake up every day and think about my back
I do buy a sack of spuds or a sack of cement and carry it to the car with no problems
My back was damaged but now it is OK
Yes, I still need to be a bit careful but my back does not rule over my life
In 1997 a surgeon did a pretty good job on my back – this is nothing compared to the work Jesus has done for us
Heb. 10:22 Cleansed, washed
Said just now; if you are doing something you shouldn't be then stop, if you are not doing something you should then do it
Equally important: if you have already done the wrong thing or not done the right thing then repent – say sorry and ask forgiveness!
Don’t wallow in guilt – guilt can cause us to change action and it can also bring us the point of seeking forgiveness
Don’t live in it – respond to it in the right way
1 John 1:8-9 Forgiveness is promised – you don’t have to live in guilt!
If guilt remains then get on your knees before God, confess you sin and receive his forgiveness
Psalm 32:1-5 Guilt will plague you until you bring it all to the Lord and receive forgiveness
Once you come to the place of forgiveness don’t go back – don’t let the devil bring the subject up again
Feeling guilty? Time to ask the questions and leave your guilt behind…