Matt Nelson - March 19, 2023
Surrender my shame
NEVERTHELESS Surrender My Shame 3.19.23 Genesis 3:1-13 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 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. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Our enemy uses shame to move us into isolation and hiding. Guilt: a result of something I have done that negatively affects someone else (I have done something bad) Shame: a feeling that is deeply associated with a person’s sense of self (I am bad) Shame seeks to rupture our relational connection with God and others. All sin, idolatry, and coping strategies in which I indulge are ways for me to satisfy my hunger for relationships. If we are to live in freedom from the power of shame: We must believe the right story about God, ourselves, and others We must courageously move into honest vulnerability with others Shame positions itself in such a way so as to keep borders tightly closed and vulnerability at a minimum. It teaches us not to reveal weakness, fearing that to do so will lead to our being shamed – the very antithesis of what we need for human flourishing. We have in Jesus one who was willing to put his naked vulnerability on full display, opening himself to all that evil’s employ could throw at him. – Curt Thompson We must release the hold of shame on our lives through the cross and the work of Jesus Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
From Series: "Nevertheless"
"Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." (Luke 22:42 ESV) Gethsemane represents a place of surrender in the life of Jesus. It is the death before the death. It was in the garden where we see the reality of his struggle and how he prayed for deliverance and yet submitted himself to the will of the Father.