The Giant of Guilt and Shame - Luke 7:48

In this episode of Weekly Wisdom with Jeff Schreve, brought to you by Pray.com, explore the transformative power of forgiveness as we discuss the story of the immoral woman in Luke 7:48. Join Pastor Jeff Shreve as he delves into the emotions of guilt and shame, and how finding forgiveness at the feet of Jesus can cleanse and free believers from these burdens. This powerful episode will inspire listeners to embrace their faith, walk in truth, and discover the peace of true forgiveness. 

Welcome to Weekly Wisdom, an inspirational series hosted by Pastor Jeff Schreve. Each week, Pastor Jeff illuminates different sections of the Holy Bible, meticulously extracting pivotal themes and life lessons that can enrich and uplift your daily life. 

This series invites you to delve deeper into understanding the scripture, offering a transformative platform for spiritual growth. As you navigate through this journey, you will be offered an opportunity to fortify your relationship with God, accompanied by Pastor Jeff's insightful guidance. 

Join us weekly as we engage in heartfelt prayer and foster a stronger connection to God, under the expert guidance of Pastor Jeff Schreve. Experience a profound transformation as you embrace the wisdom of the Bible, distilled for you, each week.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In Luke chapter seven, beginning in verse forty eight, Jesus
said to the immoral woman, your sins are forgiven. And
they that sat at meat with him began to say
within themselves, who is this that forgives sins? Also? And
he said to the woman, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace. Let's pray, Father. We love this story

(00:24):
of the immoral woman weeping at the feet of Jesus.
She was covered in the slimy fingerprints of sin, and
she felt so separated, and so guilt ridden, and so
full of shame. Yet she found forgiveness at the feet
of Jesus. She was cleansed, and she heard those wonderful words,
Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go

(00:47):
in peace. Lord. We want to be free from guilt
and shame. So we pray that you would speak to
us through your word, and that we would believe the
truth and we would walk in it in Jesus' name. Amen. Hi, friends,
welcome to this episode of the Weekly Wisdom podcast from

(01:08):
pray dot Com. I am Pastor Jeff Shree from Texarkana, Texas.
Now I want to talk to you today about something
that all Christians battle at some point in their lives,
and that is the giant of guilt and shame. Now,
dealing with the giant of guilt and shame can be
challenging and it can be overwhelming. Hey, We've all sinned

(01:31):
and fallen short of God's standards, and as a result,
we're often haunted by feelings of guilt and feelings of shame.
The Bible says that guilt and shame are the consequences
of disobeying God's commands. The good news is that there
are right ways to deal with guilt and shame. The
bad news is that there are wrong ways to deal

(01:52):
with it, and many choose the wrong ways. Now, one
of the wrong ways to deal with guilt and shame
is by trying to excuse it and explain it away.
We think, if we just move the boundary markers, so
to speak, to justify our actions, that should take care
of the problem. But it doesn't. God says the moral
boundaries not us. And if we try to justify the

(02:16):
very thing which God calls sin, then we call God
a liar according to First John one ten, and we
deny his righteous standards. Hey, instead of moving the boundaries,
we need to move toward God and confess our sins
to him. God is merciful and gracious, and he will
forgive us if we confess our sins. That literally means

(02:41):
to agree with God and forsake our sins turn away
from them. David, the Great Old Testament King, was a
sinner just like you and me. He experienced the consequences
of going the wrong way with guilt and shame. He
tried to cover his sins. He tried to hide them
in the dark cloth of his heart, and this produced

(03:02):
pressure and pain as the Lord kept convicting him over
this critical issue. Now, when he finally broke and confessed
his sins to God, he found peace and joy in
God's forgiveness. Psalm thirty two, verse five says this from
the lips of David. I acknowledge my sin to you,
and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I

(03:26):
will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you Lord
forgave the guilt of my sin. So how can you
rid yourself of the guilt and shame that may be
haunting your life today? You can follow in the footsteps
of the prostitute who wept at Jesus's feet. Her story

(03:46):
is found in Luke chapter seven. Now, as you can imagine,
this immoral woman was covered in the slimy fingerprints of sin.
She had become a dirty plaything for dirty men. Now,
she wasn't invited to Simon the Pharisees house for the
dinner party that he had for Jesus, But she came
anyway because she just had to see the Savior. And

(04:10):
she knelt at Jesus's feet and wept, and she used
her tears to wash his feet, and her hair to
dry his feet. Then she anointed his feet with expensive perfume.
She didn't say a word, but she showed us what
to do when our hearts are heavy with guilt and shame.
The first step is to take full responsibility for what

(04:33):
you've done. Now, this produces godly sorrow, not just worldly regret.
You see, Godly sorrow is different from regret. Godly sorrow
leads to repentance and a change in behavior. We can't
just feel sorry for what we've done, sorry that we
got caught in our having to pay the consequences. That's

(04:54):
not godly sorrow. Godly sorrow does not say God, I
broke your law. It says God, I broke your heart,
and I'm so broken over this sin of mine against you.
So that's the first step. Take full responsibility for what
you've done. The second step is to bring your guilt
and shame to Jesus. We don't have to hide from

(05:15):
him or pretend that everything is okay. He already knows
everything that we've done, and he loves us still, and
we can bring our sins to him and lay them
at his feet, and confess our sins to him, and
he will forgive us and cleanse us, as the Bible says,
from all all on righteousness, as we repent and as

(05:36):
we come clean. Now, the third step is to let
go of our guilt and shame. See, once we have
confessed our sins and received forgiveness, we don't have to
keep carrying the heavy coat of guilt and shame. We
can walk in freedom and joy, knowing that we're loved
and accepted and forgiven by God. Jesus told this a

(05:59):
moral woman three key things in response to her godly sorrow,
her repentance and silent confession of sin. He said to her,
your sins have been forgiven, Your faith has saved. You
go in peace, forgiven, saved, and set free from guilt

(06:20):
and shame. She can now walk in peace. You see,
Jesus can forgive the worst of sinners by his grace,
But forgiveness comes at a cost. You cannot forgive without
paying a price, And Jesus had to leave heaven and
die on the cross for our sins. The cost of
forgiveness is a reminder of the depth of God's love

(06:41):
for you and me. And when we humbly repent of
our sins and come to God with brokenness, he responds
with mercy, grace, and forgiveness. So what are you going
to do with your guilt and shame? Are you going
to suppress it? Are you going to hide it? Are
you going to bury it in some dark clause in
your heart? Oh? Will you come to the Lord in

(07:03):
true repentance and godly sorrow, confessing fully what you've done
and believing Him for complete and total forgiveness. Peace can
be yours today if you will follow His plan to
rid your life of guilt and shame. Thank you for
listening to this episode of Weekly Wisdom. I'm Pastor Jeff

(07:25):
Shreeve and I would love to connect with you. Visit
my ministry website at Fromhishart dot org for resources and
other opportunities to help you grow in your faith, for
more wisdom to last a lifetime, and to make prayer
priority in your life. Download Theprey dot com app and
if you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with someone

(07:46):
else in your life who might also benefit from it too.
Thanks again for listening, have a great week, and God
bless you.