Worthless Guilt

Worthless Guilt

By Joe Mack Cherry

I. Opening

A. So Many Get Trapped in Their Minds

1. Facilities are filled 1,000’s believing there’s no hope for them.

2. In 2020, the CDC recorded almost 47,000 people committed suicide is the US = 1 death/11 minutes

3. In 2021, the CDC recorded 647 more suicides than it did in 2020.

4. With these figures, one easily deduces that anxiety is present in epidemic proportions and hopelessness is an ever-present force in the world.

5. Not all anxiety ends in suicide. Some overcome and some waste years of precious time.

B. Christians Get Anxious and Feel Hopeless at Times

1. Phil. 4:6-7 – “Be anxious in nothing, but let everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

a. The peace of God will guard your mind. Who doesn’t want peace of mind?

b. Jo. 14:27 – Jesus left a peace that was/is unlike anything on earth.

c. We must accept this peace; failure to do so can lead to a lot of unnecessary pain.

2. Sadly, many in the church can’t let go of past sins. They fail to embrace the full forgiveness that Christ’s blood afforded them at repentance.

a. People become trapped in this way of thinking that affects.

• #1 – the way they look at themselves.

• #2 – the way that they perceive how others see them.

• My sins were/are just too bad. How can I ever feel good about myself?

• When others look at me all they see is the sin(s) I’ve committed.

b. They are haunted by what I call Worthless Guilt. We’ll look closer in a minute.

c. Worthless guilt is an albatross around a person’s neck that needs to go!

C. Clarifications

1. The Intent of This Message

a. It is not to invoke further guilt for anyone who struggles with this problem; you/they/I are already carrying enough of this unnecessary burden.

b. It is offered as a message of hope that we, with the help of Christ and quality time in the scripture, can help break the unhealthy habit of rehashing old forgiven sins.

c. It’s a plea to stop beating yourself up and start enjoying the joy of true forgiveness.

d. To live a full happy life, we need to demolish this “tool” Satan uses against us.

2. If this message touches you today, you are not alone, I promise.

a. There are many of us who can sympathize as well as empathize with you.

b. Worthless guilt can be tied to any sin. I think we’ve all experienced it to a degree.

• Sins have different names and subsequent consequences, but they are all relative according to scripture, save Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

• I John 3:4 – All sin is transgression of the law. Man, grades sin, God doesn’t.

II. Body

A. Good Guilt Leads to Repentance and Repentance Leads to Salvation

1. Good guilt is a result of conviction that we are committing sin or have committed sin that requires repentance. This is part of the Holy Spirit’s mission! Jo. 16:8 – “…when He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgement…”

a. Luke 13:3&5 – Jesus says unless you repent you will perish.

b. Jonah 3:6-9 – The king of Nineveh repented in sackcloth and ashes and 120,000 were saved.

c. Acts 2:37 – the people were pricked in their hearts and cried out, “What must we do?”

2. Good guilt points us toward the cross and our Savior. I Jo. 2:2 tells us He is the propitiation for not only our sins, but the sins of the whole world.

3. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, not only did He take away our sins; He took away our guilt and shame. Isa 53:5 Amplified Version – “…He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities … by His stripes we were healed and made whole. Case closed in a perfect world, right? We are human and it’s hard to grasp sometimes so we develop …

B. Worthless Guilt

1. Worthless guilt starts the minute a person doesn’t forgive him/herself for what God (and anyone else) has already chosen to forgive.

a. Well, I did this to someone and I just can’t forgive myself.

b. Well, I didn’t do this for someone and I can’t forgive myself.

c. We put this guilt on every morning just like our socks and shoes and we drag it with us through every day! Refer back to the albatross around the neck.

2. Worthless guilt can become deep seated and quickly rule our thinking.

a. It is more psychological than spiritual. Yes, mental perceptions can influence our spiritual lives. Thank the Lord that He is faithful to us when we are weak and can’t help ourselves!