107 Coldren Street, Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15904, United States
Upcoming Sermons & Devotional Message
February sermons 2025
2/9 -" A Prophetess, Judge, and Warrior"
Judges 4:1-3
Judges 4:4-9
2/16 -" The Fourth Man in the Fire "
Daniel 3:10-14
Daniel 3:16-25
2/23 - " Swimming Upstream"
Matthew 6:24
Matthew 8:5-10
Devotional Message : These will change 1-2 times a week. Stop by often to read the new message.
SOME THOUGHTS ON GUILT AND SHAME
The third chapter of Genesis is a pivot point in the Bible. Chapter one reminds us God created everything on purpose—light—sky and water—land—sun, moon and stars—fish and birds—animals to roam the land—and mankind in His image. Chapter two begins with God resting—setting a model of sabbath for all creation—and then describes the intentional creation of man and woman for each other, to live in relationship with Him as they tended the garden.
It was perfect—until chapter three. God had established one rule for the man and woman—they were not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they would die. It was simple—until the enemy of our souls deceived them. They ate forbidden fruit. Sin was introduced into the human family, and:
“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” (Genesis 3:7)
They didn’t die—at least not right away. That’s because death isn’t just the cessation of bodily functions (physical). It’s the consequence of not being who we were created to be (spiritual).
Guilt and shame entered the human experience—convicting them of sin. Adam and Eve had nothing to hide before they sinned, but after they ate, they wanted to cover themselves with fig leaves in a desperate attempt to cover their shame. Their consciences were restless because they knew something was wrong.
If we’re honest, we know how they felt. If everything we ever did became public information, we could never leave the house. One survey showed that fifty percent of adult males carry a secret so dark that, if it were exposed, it would destroy them.
Guilt and shame are not necessarily negative. They are the early indicators of the work of the Holy Spirit in convincing us of our need for forgiveness and redemption. The work of the Holy Spirit is to convince us of our sins (John 16:8), so that we can repent and be restored to God.
Are you struggling with a sense of guilt or shame? Good! Your conscience is working—and the Spirit is calling you to repentance and forgiveness.
Don’t ignore the conviction of the Spirit, my friends!
Bishop Jeff Greenway