• Psychological coping mechanism dating back to
ancient times.
• Generally used up until the 1940’s, but
sometimes under a different name.
• Simple philosophy that can be adapted to most
of life’s various difficulties and hardships.
Series Outline
• What is it?
• What does it do to me?
• How do I kill it?
Some Facts About Guilt
• Before becoming a Christian, guilt is meant
to bring you to Christ.
• After becoming a Christian, guilt is meant
to bring you to Christ.
• A Christian should experience guilt in one
of two ways:
– I’ve sinned, and my guilt leads to me ask Jesus
for forgiveness.
– I’ve been forgiven, and my guilt needs to be
forgotten.
Secret Weapon Recap
• Fear
– Love
• Discouragement
– Humility
• Loneliness
– Introspection
• Guilt
– Acceptance
What is it?
• You’ve done something wrong.
• You know you’ve done something wrong.
• You have not received forgiveness:
– You need to accept Jesus as Savior.
– You need to confess your sin to your Savior.
• Still unresolved, you are burdened and
troubled.
What does it do to me?
• Silence
– “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will
not hear.” Psalm 66:18
– Unwilling to talk to God about our sin, we find
ourselves unable to talk to Him about
anything.
– We feel a sickening silence in our heart.
– Manifests psychological dysfunction and
physiological ailments.
What does it do to me?
• Sorrow
– We feel that we are not in control as we were
before.
– We find it hard to genuinely enjoy just about
anything.
– Our outlook is depressed.
– Not exactly the life of the party.
What does it do to me?
• Secrecy
– Unresolved guilt demands a latticework of
guarded secrets, half-truths, and outright lies.
– These compound to make the overall situation
worse, if not “hopeless.”
– We find it difficult to meaningfully connect
with the closest people in our lives.
– This secrecy dulls our conviction about right
and wrong within ourselves and others.
How do I kill it?
• Before too long, God will send a Nathan on
an intercept course with our lives.
• A conversation or circumstance will arouse
your conviction and give you a glimpse of
the exit.
• Decision time:
– Put a sword through it.
– Recede back into the cycle for another round.
How do I kill it?
• Accept FULL responsibility.
– “I did it.” No passive terminology here.
• Acknowledge the damage you caused.
– Don’t follow the world’s example of watering
down the impact of sin.
• Address your confession to God.
– No priest, psychologist, or parent can get you
out of this.
• Accept His forgiveness.
Cleansing the Filth
• The hoarder’s house and the dumpster.
– Looks good on the outside, nightmare on the
inside.
• The only way to deal with filth is to purge
it, not move it into different corners.
• The only way to remove sin is by the blood
of Jesus…precious yet serious imagery.
– OT mercy seat above the Ark.
– NT “covering” of the blood of Jesus.
What will I get in return?
• Removal of the sin. It no longer has power
over you, nor does God hold it against you.
– There were no sacrifices available to David to
atone for either adultery or murder.
• Restoration of joy!
– Weight lifted, shackles broken.
• Renewal of fellowship.
– Communication and communion with God.
– Renewed focus and purpose.
Bonus Slide
• Are you struggling because you want guilt
to hang around someone else’s neck?
• Are you feeling guilty about the right
things?