Naked And Not Ashamed (Part 2)

 

In ‘Naked and not ashamed’ part 1 we established very much a theological basis of shame. We dealt in length with the fact that Jesus has removed our sin and shame. He took our shame to the cross. He took our shame and released to us his righteousness. Our only part in this work of the cross is to believe. Believing frees me to release the shame that I am holding onto. We need to abandon our shame at the cross and allow the light of God to enter those places where we have experienced shame and the light of God will bring forth fruitfulness in those areas.

At the surface of it may appear through all of the foregone teaching on shame that what I am saying is that you should not be ashamed of your sin. It may surprise you then if I make it clear that this is not what I am saying! What I am saying might encompass this truth but what I am saying is a far greater revelation or truth than simply ‘not being ashamed’ of your sin. What am I saying then? This whole message of ‘naked and not ashamed’ is about not being ashamed. But not being ashamed of what?

My declaration is not - ‘I am not ashamed of my sin’ - my declaration is :

Rom 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes

We are not called to be ‘not ashamed of our sin’; we are called to be ‘not ashamed of the Gospel’ which sets us free from our sin and shame. It’s not about my sin it’s all about the cross.  Being not ashamed of the gospel will set me free in every area of my life. The Gospel is the ‘Good News’. The Good News of the complete work of the cross. The Gospel – the work of the cross – addresses every area of my life. Freedom in any area of our lives starts with not being ashamed of the Gospel. The complete work of the cross can only be completed in us to the degree to which we believe in the complete work of the cross.

To be ashamed of the cross is to not believe in any area or aspect of the work of the cross. Any area of the Gospel in which we do not believe is an area in which we are ashamed of the Gospel.

The Gospel teaches that all our sins were forgiven at the cross:

Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses

There are however many within the church who teach that it is only your sins that you committed before you came to Christ that are covered and that you then have to confess every sin after you are saved. Can you imagine how much bondage there is in trying to keep track of every sin you commit and continually confessing your sin to try and keep your salvation. This is being ashamed of the Gospel – shrinking back from the full truth of the Gospel. Not believing all your sins are forgiven brings you into bondage.

The Gospel teaches that we have been set free from the Law and from having to comply with all the requirements of the law to be saved:

Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances (Law) that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross

There are many who are ashamed of this declaration of the cross and continue to believe that we still have to comply with all the requirements of the law. This leads to bondage and guilt and condemnation every time you fail to comply with these legal standards.

Can you see that in whatever area we are ashamed of the Gospel becomes an area of bondage in our lives? We are called to be ‘not ashamed’ of the Gospel. Why? Because it is ‘the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes’. God has invested his power in the Gospel – and believing in the Gospel releases that power on our behalf. Any area in which we don’t believe is an area in which we don’t have the power of God working. When I believe in the finished work of the cross, God is able to finish the work in me. I cannot emphasise this enough – when we believe the Gospel God releases his power. Wherever the Gospel is preached God confirms his word with power and miracles.  

Rom 15:18 For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed, 19 by the power of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of God’s Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the good news about the Messiah from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum.

 

And so the truth is this – I am not released from bondage to shame by not being ashamed of my sin – I am released from bondage to shame by not being ashamed of the Gospel – the Good News – that Jesus bore my sin and shame upon the cross and released me from the bondage of shame. And believing in this Gospel releases to me power – Gods power and Grace- to work in that area of my life and bring forth fruitfulness. Choose to believe that Jesus took your shame and trust in the power of God to bring release – to loose the chains of years of bondage. Experience freedom from shame as I have done.

 

For many years I was in bondage to shame through watching pornography.

 

You should notice the choice of my words here – I was not in bondage to pornography, I was in bondage to shame. Pornography was simply the vehicle through which shame came.

 

Through what vehicle does shame come? Adultery, homosexuality, sexual abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, pornography? There are a thousand ways through which shame can enter your life. It does not matter through which means shame comes, what is important is to identify the real problem which keeps you in bondage to that sin – which is shame.

Recurring sin which keeps you in bondage is no longer simply a sin problem, it is a shame problem. As we discussed previously sin is what you do – shame is who you are. Shame binds you to your sin and identifies you with your sin. Shame is an identity problem. Believing in the finished work of the cross – not being ashamed of the gospel which declares the unrighteous righteous – sets you free from shame. It breaks off your identity with shame and establishes your identity in righteousness. 

 

When I chose to believe that all my sin was forgiven and all my shame removed at the cross – the power of sin and shame was broken in my life. I was attached to my sin by my shame – but when the shame went I was no longer attached to my sin and it fell off. This is the only way I can really describe it, it was as if the sin just ‘fell off’. I am no longer in bondage to pornography – Grace set me free. Law keeps you in sin, Grace releases you from sin. Law points out your sin and brings condemnation and shame, Grace points out your righteousness and sets you free from condemnation and shame.

 

Under law I must maintain my covering – I must cover my sin. Under Grace I am set free from sin and can be ‘naked and not ashamed’.

 

This message then is a call to abandon your shame to the cross and to become ‘naked and not ashamed’. You cannot continue in Grace and continue in sin – it is impossible because Grace sets you free from every sin.

 

Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

 

The ‘Gospel’ the ‘Good news’ of Gods amazing grace sets you free from every bondage. And this freedom occurs in a culture and atmosphere of Grace. We in Dwell church have established such an atmosphere – a culture of Grace where we can be naked and not ashamed. A culture where we choose not to see each other’s sin but to see each other’s righteousness. A culture in which we choose not to talk about each other’s sin but to declare each other’s righteousness.

 

Let me share with you a wonderful illustration of this from God’s word:

 

Gen 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

 

Within this story you see the continuation of the story of ‘naked and not ashamed’. At creation we saw Adam and Eve ‘naked and not ashamed’. At the fall we see them covering their nakedness – becoming ‘covered and ashamed’. This story of Noah reveals a new chapter in this story of nakedness and shame. God destroys the world in the flood but saves Noah and his family. This is the story of new beginnings. The flood and the ark we know are a picture of salvation – of being saved from Gods judgement within the ark.

 

It is after this picture of salvation through the ark that we have introduced into scripture a word used for the first time – wine. This scripture is the first time ‘wine’ is mentioned in the bible. As we know with the law of ‘first mention’ – when a word is introduced into scripture for the first time it establishes a principle. Wine in this first mention is linked to drunkenness. After this picture of being saved through the ark – a picture of salvation through the cross – we have this story of the ‘pouring out’ of wine by Noah and his resultant drunkenness. This is a picture of the ‘pouring out’ of the Spirit at Pentecost and the resultant ‘drunkenness’ of the believers. When the Holy Spirit (New Wine) was poured out at Pentecost all the believers became ‘drunk’. Noah drinks deeply of this wine and becomes naked and not ashamed.

 

When the Spirit of Grace is poured out upon the church we become ‘naked and not ashamed’ before each other. As we come out from under the Law, the place of covering or hiding our sin, we become more open and naked before each other as the Spirit of Grace peels away the layers of protection we have put on over the years. The scripture reveals that Noah was ‘within his tent’ – this is a picture of ‘inside the church’. Within the church we have two types of children – children of the Law and children of Grace. Ham is a picture of the Law – he ‘saw’ the nakedness of Noah and ‘told’ his brothers outside. The Law sees our sin and declares our sin – it reveals our sin and shame. Shem and Japheth are children of Grace. They take a garment and walk in backwards so as to not see Noah’s sin and shame – and they cover his nakedness.

Grace does not see our sin neither declares it. Grace sees and declares our righteousness.

Japheth means ‘to open, expand or increase’ and Shem means ‘honour’. Shem and Japheth therefore open or expand our understanding of what it means to honour each other within the church. We honour people by not seeing or declaring their sin and shame but by seeing and declaring their righteousness before God.      

 

1 Corinth 12:20 So now there are many members, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor in turn can the head say to the foot, “I do not need you.” 22 On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential, and those members we consider less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our unpresentable members are clothed with dignity, 24 but our presentable members do not need this. Instead, God has blended together the body, giving greater honour to the lesser member, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another.

 

This is a work in progress – becoming ‘naked and not ashamed’. The longer we remain in Grace the more God’s Grace works in us – removing all our sin and shame and setting us free in every area of our lives. This is what the bible refers to as ‘working out your salvation with fear and trembling’. Allowing the light of God access into every area of our lives, every area of our souls, even those areas we are afraid to allow God access to – the dark places and the dark shadows.

 

Job 12:22 ​​​​​​​He reveals the deep things of darkness, ​​​​​​and brings deep shadows into the light.