Guilt and Grace

Amazing Grace
Guilt and Grace
Genesis 3:7-12

(To download and print blank sermon notes to complete while you listen, click HERE.)

Guilt is a part of all of our lives. The only question is how will we deal with it?

What Is Guilt?

“For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.” (Psalm 38:4)

We tend to think about guilt primarily as a Feeling

Guilt is a Warning Light

Two kinds of guilt:

1. Genuine guilt

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'" (Acts 2:37)

2. False guilt

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” (Matthew 5:11)

“False guilt is that which comes as the result of judgments and suggestions of men.” Dr. Paul Tournier

How do I tell the difference? Is the Focus on…
• People or God?
• Vague or Specific?
• Feelings of guilt or the Condition of guilt?

Our Inadequate Ways of Handling Guilt

• Shame
• Hiding
• Blame
• Anger

God’s Way of Handling Guilt: Grace

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:17–18)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

1. Confess your sins

• To God

“O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.” (Psalm 69:5)

• To Another Person

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16a)

2. Trust God’s character

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22)

3. Accept God’s forgiveness

“I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” (Psalm 32:5)

“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:10–12)

When Is Guilt Good?

1. When it comes from the right Source

2. When it leads to the right Outcome

God not only wants to forgive you and free you from your guilt, but He wants to use you in fresh new ways!