GUILT-THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
INTRODUCTION: Last week I preached on the importance of having the peace of Christ. One of the things that can easily disrupt our peace is guilt. According to one psychologist, guilt is the most important and difficult problem in life today. Although guilt is a problem in some ways in another sense it’s not a problem at all-it’s actually a blessing. Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly regarding the subject of guilt.
1) The bad.
One aspect of guilt is to be at fault. We all do things that are wrong; things we’re guilty of. What’s bad is not just that we are at fault but what we do as a result. We might do things to make ourselves feel better about what we’ve done but that doesn’t cut it. Like the man who sent a check to the IRS with this note, “I’m feeling guilty for cheating on my taxes so I’m sending you this check. If afterwards I still feel guilty I’ll send you the rest.”
As a result of our guilt we might turn to things like drugs or alcohol to numb the pain of guilt. But, chances are, all that’s going to do is cause us to do something else to feel guilty about.
What makes us guilty-sin/wrong doing. What is sin? Anything that displeases God. That involves the bad we do and the good we’re supposed to do but don’t. And we have all fallen into the category of ‘guilty’ for there is none of us who are without sin. The question is-what will we do about it? We can be in denial about it or we can do something about it. However, even if we do the right thing in admitting our guilt, we can do the wrong thing to try to correct it.
Many people think they can remove their guilt by being a good person. But that won’t do it. Jer. 2:22, “Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Sovereign LORD.” The soap of good deeds will not remove the stain of sin.
So, the bad is that we are all guilty of sin; we are all at fault. And the bad on top of the bad is that we have wrong responses to our wrong doing. We can be denial about it, we can turn to things to mask the pain or we can try to be good enough to wipe away the guilt. But none of that will work. There’s only one way to take away our guilt-Jesus.
2) The good.
The other aspect of guilt is shame and remorse. The good obviously isn’t in doing something to be ashamed of but the good is in being ashamed. However, although shame is good, the effects of it won’t feel too good. When I realize the severity of what I’ve done I will be consumed with sorrow. When I think about the pain I’ve caused I will be in anguish.
Although feeling shame is a good thing, there can be bad among the good if I don’t respond to my shame in the right way. There’s a positive response and a negative response. The negative response is when it pushes us away from God and others. We can’t stand to be around those we’ve hurt so instead of facing them we avoid contact with them. It’s natural to feel this way. Adam and Eve hid from God when they were ashamed. The positive response to shame is when it brings us closer to God. When my shame causes godly sorrow that will lead to repentance and that will lead to restoration.
We see the difference between the right and wrong responses to shame and guilt in what happened to Peter and Judas. After Judas betrayed Jesus he felt some remorse. He told the Pharisees that he had betrayed innocent blood. But his response to his shame and guilt was not repentance but suicide. His guilt pushed him away from God. Peter, on the other hand, was different. After he had denied that he knew Jesus the rooster crowed and Jesus turned and caught Peter’s eye. Peter then went away and wept bitterly. Later, Jesus forgave and restored Peter.
When Peter preached the first sermon at Pentecost he told the Jews about their part on crucifying the Lord and Savior. Acts 2:37 says that they were cut to the heart, which means they were convicted-they realized their guilt. Their response to their guilt was to ask what they needed to do about it. Peter replied in verse 38 that they needed to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
They fact that they realized their guilt was actually the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 16:5-8, “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”
Another word used for convict is convince. If we are convicted we are convinced. I have been convinced that I am a sinner. I have been convinced of Jesus’ righteousness. And I am convinced that there is a judgment coming. When people are convinced and realize their guilt, they can have it taken care of in the right way-through Jesus.
Jesus said in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth and the life and that no one come to the father but through him. As we saw earlier, good deeds will not pay for our ticket to heaven. Jesus is the only one that could and did pay our way; at the cost of his life. Therefore, Jesus is the only one who can remove our guilt.
In Leviticus, you’ll read about God commanding the Israelites to make guilt offerings. All the offerings that God’s people had to make to have atonement for their sins in the Old Testament was fulfilled and ended once and for all when Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross.
Isaiah 53:5-6, 10, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Yet it was the LORD'S will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.”
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was the final guilt offering-taking away our sin and our guilt. When we realize our guilt and we come to Jesus and accept his guilt offering we can have that guilt removed.
3) The ugly.
One thing that’s ugly is when guilty people don’t feel guilty. Guilt without guilt. I can be guilty but that doesn’t mean I will feel guilty. That would be called, sin with no shame, wrong with no remorse. In order for there to be redemption there has to be guilt along with my guilt. When there’s guilt to go along with my guilt then I am ready to be free.
This takes humility. Humility allows me to confess to wrongdoing with shame and remorse attached to it. But ugly pride keeps me from admitting my guilt. I may admit to doing what I am guilty of but if I rationalize or justify or blame others I am not admitting I’ve done something wrong.
Something else that fits in the category of ugly is when we have illegitimate guilt. That’s the guilt we take on unnecessarily. Something wasn’t our fault but we feel guilty anyway. This can be seen in abuse victims. Their abuser manipulates them into feeling guilty; like it's their fault this is happening to them. Rape victims are told if they didn't look the way they did they wouldn't have been raped. Now, there's something to be said about modesty but that doesn't mean they were asking to be raped. The rapist is guilty for the rape, not the victim. People want to blame others for their poor choices. “I wouldn’t drink so much if you didn’t nag me all the time.” “I had an affair because you never pay attention to me.” So, we feel illegitimately guilty for someone else’s actions.
Another thing that’s ugly is when Satan drudges up the past to try to make us feel guilty all over again. Have you ever just been going along your day and then all of a sudden a memory about something bad you did comes barreling its way in? Sometimes the bad memory is about something you should’ve done. Plagued by the “shoulda, woulda, coulda, didn’t”s. These bad memories can instantaneously sour your mood; turning a pleasant moment into a somber one.
And there you are-left with a choice-are you going to sit and dwell on it and allow Satan to pull you down into the pit of sorrow or are you going to push it away; shove it outside and lock the door? Satan wants to rack us with guilt all over again as if we are still held accountable. He wants us to have anxiety over the things that cannot be changed. We cannot have a do-over but that doesn’t stop us from still feeling guilty about what’s over and done with.
That’s ugly but we can do something about it. We need to keep the past in the past. We were guilty but because we realized it, the remorse and shame (conviction) led us to repentance and we were redeemed; the old is gone and the new has come as 2nd Cor. 5:17 states.
Therefore, when Satan tries to make us feel guilty about the past we need to fight it; remembering that we are no longer guilty. The penalty has been paid and the slate has been wiped clean. You did what you did but it’s not being held against you any longer. It’s a dead issue. Heb. 8:12 says that that God forgives our wickedness and he will remember our sins no more. If God has let go of our past then don’t allow Satan to drudge it back up again.
CONCLUSION: Psalm 38:4, “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.” Lee Strobel shares this account, “We were doing a baptism service. We told people before they came up to the platform to be baptized to take a piece of paper, write down a few of the sins they’ve committed, and fold the paper. When they come up to the platform, there was a large wooden cross on the stage. Take that piece of paper, take a pin, and pin it to the cross, because our sins are nailed to the cross with Jesus Christ, and fully paid for by his death. Then turn and come to the pastor to be baptized.
I want to read you a letter a woman wrote who was baptized in one of those services. She said, ‘I remember my fear. In fact, it was the most fear I remember in my life. I wrote as tiny as I could on that piece of paper the word abortion. I was so scared someone would open the paper and read it and find out it was me. I wanted to get up and walk out of the auditorium during the service, the guilt and fear were that strong.
When my turn came, I walked toward the cross, and I pinned the paper there. I was directed to a pastor to be baptized. He looked me straight in the eyes, and I thought for sure that he was going to read this terrible secret I kept from everybody for so long. But instead, I felt like God was telling me, I love you. It’s okay. You’ve been forgiven. I felt so much love, for me, a terrible sinner. It’s the first time I ever really felt forgiveness and unconditional love. It was unbelievable, indescribable.’
I’ve met people who felt that God couldn’t forgive them for what they’ve done. Their sins were too many or too severe. That’s the devil’s lie. There’s nothing you’ve done that Jesus won’t forgive you for. But you have to come to him. Jesus said in John 6:37 that he who comes to him he will not drive away. Jesus wants to lift the burden of guilt from your shoulders. He wants to remove the pain and anguish that’s racking your soul. He wants to set you free from guilt. Will you let him?
