Follow the Leader

Today, dear friend, we're going to dig deep. We're going to dig into places that hurt to look at. We're going to talk about "the S Word." 

Sin.

Let's agree right now that we will be open to confession today. No holier-than-thou, I don't have those kind of problems attitude. Because if you said that to my face I would say, I don't believe you. 

Because we're all human and, everybody's got their something, right?

Sin is difficult to admit and even more difficult to stop. Sin can become ingrained in our brains and become part of who we are. Sin can be easy to sweep under the rug and kept secret from even those closest to us. But if you're willing, God will shed light on how to be free from sin and the shame that accompanies it. 

Before we start today, will you pray with me? 

Dear Father, we come before you today with repentant hearts, knowing we are in need of Jesus and His great gift of salvation to cover our sins. God, I pray that as we walk through this lesson we will feel neither guilt nor shame, but the love-covering of your discipline and the hope that your Spirit will change our ways. Amen.

Let's go to Galatians 5. We're going to cover verses 16-25:

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

This list filled with sinful, human nature is brutal. There are some pretty low-dow and cringe-worthy sins listed here. And whatever your particular brand of sin happens to be, God knows it. So let's not turn away in shame or try to hide it from Him. Because God? He's got your number. So let's just agree to be honest with Him. Here's the great thing about any sin on this list (and even those not on it): YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY HUMAN TO EVER COMMIT THIS SIN. Y'all, it's made a list. And we know that all things that make a Top Ten list are pretty common. We know that if Paul, the author of this letter, thought it wise to make a list of these particular sins then he had good reason. 

There are Christians past, present, and future the world over who have committed these sins. You are not alone. But the strength in numbers argument doesn't hold up well here. Sin is still wrong and damaging and God doesn't want us to stay in this muck and mire. He wants us delivered from it. So let's get started.

Take a glance back to verse 25. As counter-intuitive as it seems a great way to absorb this passage is to start at the end. 

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Or, shall we read it as Since the Holy Spirit lives in us, let's do what He says. Let's follow the Leader. He'll take us where we want to go.

And hopefully, where we want to go is away from our sin and into the perfect future God has planned for us. 

Galatians clearly says that when I am in Jesus my flesh has been crucified. Even though I still struggle to always do right, the Spirit that lives inside me desires drastically different things than my flesh. When the Spirit is inside me and I am taking His lead I produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. 

Conquering the sin inside us is no easy task. And it's something that we can't do alone. We must yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to do the heart-changing work inside us. The only way to conquer the flesh is to call on the Holy Spirit and ask His power to defend us, empower us, and create new, godly character inside of us. We follow the Leader and we follow Him into death - death to self and death to sin. 

My friend, let's uncover the sin we've been living in. Let's bring it to light. Admit it to God and let Him allow the Holy Spirit to do life-changing work in us. This healing may be done in a moment, but most likely, it will be done in a series of moments, one by one turning over fleshly desires and asking, Spirit, help me. Guard me. Empower me. 

The flesh asks us to walk into deep, dark, bottomless pits of self-inflicted injury. It asks us to cover up hurts with bandaids that make us feel good for a second and then full of shame for days. The flesh will lead you to no place that is godly or good. 

But the Spirit. Ah, the Spirit is a Leader who wants abundance for us. He wants to give us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He wants to lead us to green pastures and still waters. Don't follow the flesh into sin and shame. 

Follow the Leader who loves you.

The Blame Game, Shame, and Why that's Not Your Name

by Jennifer Smith

I was thinking of Monica Lewinsky today. Random, right? A friend on Facebook posted an interview with her. As I read the article I was struck by how greatly I identified with her. Like her, my past is full of mistakes.

I'm luckier than Monica, though. Most of my sins have been committed quietly. Only the knowledge of a few or even just myself. She, however, was branded. A reputation. A dirty word. A scarlet letter. "That woman."

Monica says, "The shame sticks to you like tar." Oh, how I know that feeling. Whether or not my past has been ridiculed on the world stage, I know what shame feels like. I know what it is to wonder what a certain group of people think of you because of past actions. I know what it is to have Satan whisper If they only know what you've done, they won't love you.

Shame, Shame. Everybody knows your name.

As I was reading the Lewinsky article my freedom in Christ bounced around like a rubber ball in my heart. I desperately wanted to reach through my iPhone, grab her, and share with her that shame is not her name.

But you, dear reader, I can grab through your screen. God has brought you to this meeting to tell you the same thing He wants to tell Monica:

Shame, shame. It's most certainly not your name.

"Though your sins be as scarlet, I have washed them white as snow" says the Redeemer of the world (Isaiah 1:18). No scarlet letter, only a blank canvas.

My pastor said the most brilliant thing this morning about our past sins. See, it's not that God forgets your sin. It's that He chooses to not remember them. There's a difference. The Creator of the universe, the One who is in charge, chooses to forgive you, chooses to call you His own, chooses to rename you.

Isaiah 43:7 tells us that God will be with all those who are called by His Name. You, dear one, sweet Christian, are most certainly labeled with the Name of Christ.

Shame and guilt are not of God, friends. They are perfectly orchestrated devices Satan uses to tell you that you aren't good enough. Here's the beautiful irony - you're not good enough. But you don't have to be. On Calvary Jesus, in all His perfection, covered you in His righteousness and goodness (Isaiah 61:10).

The next time Satan tries to brand you with the Blame Game of Shame, remind him that's not your name. Your name is inscribed on the palms of God's hands. He says in Isaiah 49:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands..."

Remind Satan who you are. Better yet, remind yourself of who you are. And that, no matter what you've done, the blood of Jesus is enough to cover it.