The Divine Crash

Today’s sermon ended up short.  Not sure why. Perhaps my coffee was making me go faster but either way I still thought it went well.  Enjoy the notes below and feel free to listen and download the podcast on iTunes.

I have never said the word “Naked” in church so many times…it was different..

Genesis 3:7-21: Who told you shame?

Vs. 7: Suddenly they realized they were naked? For them naked = shame.

 

For us: Shame equals feeling naked.

- When we get caught doing something we shouldn’t we feel exposed and without protection.  Naked.

- Bill Clinton get caught in a compromising situation, here is a picture of him walking off the stage where he announced he was caught

 

He is alone, everyone is looking at him.  He has control of the world’s largest military and at this moment he can’t cover his shame.

 

So often, this happens to us.  When we get caught doing what we know we shouldn’t.  Sometimes it was even for good reason.

 

What naturally happens is we try to cover our shame.  To hide where we fall short to bury the incident to avoid the consequences.

 

But the scares remain. We can’t look at those around us the same way any more.  The last thing we want is to be around other people.

 

Vs. 11 Then God shows up. And he asks a basic question:

 

“Who told you that you were naked?”

There is hurt in God’s voice as He asks this question, but there is also a deep sadness, the sense of a father holding a child that has for the first time ever, wrapped himself in shame.

Who told you that you were not enough?

Who told you that I didn’t love you?

Who told you that there was something outside of me you needed?

Who told you that you were ugly?

Who told you that your dream was foolish?

Who told you that you would never have a child?

Who told you that you would never be a father?

Who told you that you weren’t a good mother?

Who told you that without a job you aren’t worth anything?

Who told you that you’ll never know love again?

Who told you that this was all there is?

Who told you that you were naked?

I don’t know when you discovered shame. I don’t know when you discovered that there were
people that might think you are silly or dumb or not a good person or a husband or a friend. I don’t know what lies you’ve been told by other people or maybe even by yourself.

But in response to what you are hearing from everyone else, God is still asking the question, “Who told you that you were naked?”

And He’s still asking us that question because we are not.

In Christ we are not worthless.

In Christ we are not hopeless.

In Christ we are not dumb or ugly or forgotten.

In Christ we are not naked.

Isaiah 61:10 it says:

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.

 

In verse 21 God took an animal, killed it and made garments to cover our shame.

In Verse 21 God declared that you are loved and God will do whatever it takes to cover your shame.

In Verse 21 God declared that even in your shame and guilt you still matter.

 

God is still in the shame covering business and business is good.

 

John 3:16 God gave Jesus for the whole world.  Even you.

 

Isaiah 53:5 Jesus was pierced for our sins, crushed for all the things we did wrong and by his death our shame is gone.

 

Ephesians 1:7 Through the blood of Jesus your sin and shame are gone.

 

Colossians 2:14 Through the blood on the cross your sin, shame, guilt, inadequacies, have all been wiped out, erased, covered, destroyed, and eliminated.

 

The world may try to tell you a thousand different things today. You might leave this place and hear a million declarations of what you are or who you’ll always be, but know this.  Now, you are not naked.

 

you are not naked.  You are loved, dressed, covered in the love of God who will do whatever it takes to make sure you are not overwhelmed by your shame.

 

God will do whatever it takes to make sure your shame does not get the last word, that your shame is not what people notice, and that you no longer have to hide.

Sermon Audio

 

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