There are lots of conspiracy theories out there. Some have proved to be true. In the Bible, Jesus says in John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." 

We have an enemy of our souls that wants to destroy our lives. He has been conspiring against you your whole life. In this podcast we look at what the Bible says about this and how Jesus came to give us life, both now and for eternity.

In the Garden of Eden, we see Adam and Eve sinning and hiding.  Their first instinct and reaction was to hide from each other and God. They now stand guilty before God and are aware of their horrible condition.  Suddenly, they were sinful, weak, broken people living in a scary world. They found themselves in a real mess. If we're honest, we,too, are in a real mess at times.

We have been looking at condemnation and guilt and how to deal with their crippling effects these past few episodes. This episode we are looking at shame. I have felt strongly to preach about these three, as they are a stumbling block and a real hindrance for people in their walk with Christ.

‘Shame’ derives from ‘to cover’, and is often expressed by a covering gesture over the brow and eyes and a downcast gaze.

Hebrews 12 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The Bible says to throw off everything that so easily entangles and derails us, but instead, the sin has us bound in chains, unable to move forward into our God-given destiny. Jesus is our antidote to the shame that we bear. He alone can set us free!

In the previous message I mentioned that there are 3 main things that seem to derail many people in their walk with Christ. We looked at condemnation and the terrible effects it has in the life of a believer. It is a deep issue that continually causes you to look inward at ‘how bad you are’ instead of lifting your head to look at the face of Christ with His conviction helping lead us to repentance.

Condemnation , if not dealt with, can completely destroy your spiritual life. Jesus said that the enemy comes but to steal, kill, and destroy. 

These important topics that we are looking at are barely scratching the surface of deep issues of the soul. I think 1,000 sermons could be preached each about condemnation, guilt and shame.

Continuing with our ‘Antidote’ sermon series, we are looking at Guilt this week and the antidote that Christ provides. Guilt is a powerful emotion. It can grip and hold onto its victims for years. There are people who, because of guilt, cannot move forward in their life. They are completely stunted in their growth. There are those who are riddled with guilt at times and can experience anxiety and other harmful issues.

Jesus is our antidote, freeing us from the effects guilt has upon our lives.  Jesus has come to give us life abundantly.

There are issues that seem to derail many Christians from living God's plan for their lives. These things can prevent our growth and maturity in Christ.

They are condemnation, guilt, and shame. Each has the ability to severely hinder our Christian walk. We can be stunted in our growth, unable to move forward, and even regress.

Today, we are looking at the first of these, condemnation. In the next few episodes, we will look at guilt and shame, as well. This is a spiritual issue as it affects us deep within. Condemnation can deceive us into thinking that this is how we'll always be. This is a lie and not the truth. This is not how God sees us. How He sees us and what He thinks about us are what really matters.

When you feel condemned, it appears as though there is no hope, like you have become hopeless. The Bible says that hope is the anchor for the soul. If you are hopeless, you can feel adrift on an endless sea with no hope for land or harbour. Our hope is in the One Who created all things! He is our hope. Jesus is our antidote and remedy to condemnation.