El Monte Vietnamese SDA Church
Ashamed
Sin causes shame. It’s in the Bible, Jeremiah 3:25, NIV. “Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the LORD our God. . . . We have not obeyed the LORD our God.”
How can I get rid of my shame? Those who believe in Jesus as their Savior will never be ashamed. It’s in the Bible, Romans 10:11, KJV. “Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
We should never be ashamed of the gospel; it is God's power to save everyone. It’s in the Bible, Romans 1:16, NKJV. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."
If you are ashamed of what has happened to you, or what you have done, God promises He can take away the shame of your past. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 54:4, NKJV. "Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.”
God promises to give us beauty for our ashes. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 61:1-3, NKJV. "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
I believe in God, but why am I suffering? Don't be ashamed when you suffer, we can trust God. It's in the Bible, 2 Timothy 1:11-13, NKJV. "For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."
When we trust in God, He will deliver us from our shame. It's in the Bible, Psalm 31:1-2, NKJV. "In You, O LORD, I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; be my Rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me."
If we suffer, even while we are Christians, don't be ashamed, but use it to glorify God. It's in the Bible, 1 Peter 4:16, NKJV. "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter."
What if I am scared of shame and suffering? God gives us all we need to fulfill His purpose no matter what we face. It's in the Bible, 2 Timothy 1:7-9, NKJV. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began"
How did Christ face shame? Christ trusted in God, in the face of suffering and shame. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 50:6-7, NKJV. "I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed."
Why did Jesus go through shame? To Christ, the shame of the cross was a small price to pay compared to the joy of seeing you in Heaven. It's in the Bible, Hebrews 12:2, NKJV. "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Know the Bible for yourself, so that you will not be ashamed by talking about things you do not know. It’s in the Bible, 2 Timothy 2:15, CEB. “Make an effort to present yourself to God as a tried-and-true worker, who doesn’t need to be ashamed but is one who interprets the message of truth correctly."
We put Jesus to shame when we purposefully and willfully sin. It's in the Bible, Hebrews 6:4-7, NKJV. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame."
When He comes, God will be ashamed of us if we are ashamed of Him. It’s in the Bible, Luke 9:26, NIV. “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
How did the disciples react to suffering shame for Jesus's name? It's in the Bible, Acts 5: 41, NKJV. "So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name."
Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters. It's in the Bible, Hebrews 2:1, NKJV. "For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren"
God is not ashamed to be our God, because He will justify our faith in Him. It's in the Bible, Hebrews 11:16, NKJV. "But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."
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