7-21-13 Complete (2) – Guilt and Shame

Last week we said that the meaning of Jesus is to save His people from their sins.  For many of us when we first became Christians we thought that meant going to heaven.  But we said last week that salvation is so much more than that.  Yes, we will live forever with God eternally when we conclude our lives on earth, but that’s only part of the equation.  Salvation meant being restored to God’s image, the way that God intended when He made you and me.  And thanks to Fanny’s testimony I hope you got a good picture of what that looks like, and the possibility of what salvation could mean to you.

Today we are going to talk about the other part that’s related to salvation – sin.  In order for you and me to be saved we need to confess of our sins.  That part you probably already knew.  But do we know what sin really is?  There are the obvious ones, you shall not kill, you shall not steal.  But what about the not so obvious ones, pride, jealousy, selfishness just to name a few?  How do we deal with that?  Do I just say, God please forgive me of my pride and it goes away?  Probably not.  Then what do we do?  That’s what we will talk about today, and the good news is, there is a better way.

Discussion Questions

1. When was the first time you heard of sin?  How did you react when you were told you are a sinner?

2. What are some of the things you want to change about you but have a hard time doing so?

3. Read Genesis 3:1-11.  What questions did God ask Adam after Adam and Eve disobeyed God?  What was the significance of these questions?

4. What could be the events that led to your answer to question no.2?  In other words, what are the shames in your life that you need to be saved from?