Live Free with Josh Howerton - Shame’s Greatest Enemy | Ep. 199 | Thursday, November 9, 2023

Episode Date: November 9, 2023

Join us today as we zoom in on a short story from the Gospel of John. Just as Jesus stooped down to care for a woman caught in adultery, He is with us in our sin and mess. He is not standing over us, like Pharisees, judging and shaming us. Jesus offers grace and lifts us out of the pit. Will you accept His grace today? For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.combe. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Welcome to the Daily Drive, where we spend a few minutes each weekday drawing closer to God. And I hope that that's exactly what's been happening in your life. And I just pray that our few minutes together in God's Word, bring some encouragement, some insight, comfort, wisdom, maybe even a little challenge into your heart.

Because God's Word certainly does all of that and much more in my life. My name is Mike Bro, by the way, and today I'd like to focus in on just one short verse that has made a huge difference in the way I see God. And the verse I'm talking about is not a well-known verse. It's not like a John 316 or a Philippians 413 kind of passage that people quote, tweet, or tattoo. But it's impacted my life profoundly. It's found right in the middle of a story about an encounter that Jesus has with a shame-filled woman. And you can read the amazing story in John chapter 8 in the New Testament section of the Bible. It's one of my favorite stories in all of the Bible.

And words like Embarrassed, ashamed, guilty, exposed, dirty, filthy, broken, used, trapped, worthless, afraid, those words describe her. Irrigant, proud,

self-righteous, judgmental, angry, sinister, scheming, treacherous, abusive, heartless, those words describe them. Calm, composed, compassionate and in complete control. That was Jesus.

Let me just read a portion of the story from John chapter 8. Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the temple. A crowd soon gathered and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her or through her in front of the crowd. Teach her, they said to Jesus.

This woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say? They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him. Now Jesus often taught out in front of the temple, and the Pharisees knew that there would be like a big crowd there, lots of witnesses. You see these religious leaders, they've been trying to get rid of Jesus for a while now. This was all a big political game to them.

They were trying to destroy his credibility with the people. If Jesus were to say that the woman should not be stoned, they could accuse him to violate the letter of Moses law. If he were to urge them go ahead and execute her, then they would report him to the Romans who did not permit the Jews

to carry out their own executions. He was fully aware that this was nothing but a trap. Also, Jewish law required that they bring both the man and the woman. So where's the guy? I mean, this is obviously a big setup. I don't know, but maybe they paid a Roman soldier off

since he wasn't under Jewish religious law and say, hey, we'll give you a hundred bucks if you can seduce to sleep with that girl. What girl? That one. Okay, done. They knew that she had that kind of reputation, so she would be easy prey. However, it all played out. They set up the whole thing. They set it up. I mean, how else do you catch someone in the act? They knew who she was, where she would be, and at what time?

They just used her. You know, the Pharisees did that a lot. They always used and devalued people. Their extreme legalism blinded them to the grace of God, to the worth of people? They can't see the intrinsic worth of this girl. They just use her as a pawn in their religious chess game. I like the sex traffickers of our day, they have no concern for her, no use for her. She's only a means to their end. So they set her up, grab her in the act, pull her out of the house, drag her through the streets with probably nothing on but a sheet

that she tries to grab in desperation on her way out, and they throw her down in the dirt in front of all these people and Jesus. And here it is. The verse I was telling you about. One of the coolest verses in the entire Bible. Four words that might forever change the way you see God. Verse six. But Jesus stooped down. Isn't that cool? Jesus stooped down. Why? Because that's where she was. That's where she was. He got down on her level. Everyone else is towering judgmentally over her. She sits ashamed down in the dirt. She's just trying to cover up her nakedness, grab some dignity, she's scared to death, and Jesus stooped down. You know that he does that.

Jesus stoop's down and meet you right in your mess, right down the dirt with you and me, and in a cool thought, that God gets down and dirty with us? Some of you think that God towers over you with holy wrath, disgusted by your filth, ready to drop the hammer of judgment on you and take great delight in doing it. But just the contrary. God stooped down. He gets down into the dirt and filth of our world, right into the shame and regret of our lives, right in the middle of our mess, our memories, our wounds, our addictions, our embarrassment, our guilt, our perceived worthlessness, our failure, our sin. And if you will look up, you'd find him there. And I don't know what might have you down the dirt these days, but I do know that we have an enemy who wants to keep us there, and fill us with paralyzing shame.

You see, guilt and shame are different. We feel guilt because of something we've done. We feel shame because of something we are. Shame attacks the core of our identity and can really mess you up for a lifetime. I'm telling you, shame is an extremely dangerous enemy. But you need to know that shame has a dangerous enemy as well. It's called grace.

See, shame towers over me and tells me I'm defect. grace stoops down and tells me I'm valuable. Shame's greatest weapon is the fear of judgment. Grace's even greater weapon is a relief of unconditional love. Shame says that because I'm flawed, I'm unacceptable. Grace says that even though I am flawed, I'm absolutely priceless. Shame believes that the opinion of the crowd is what matters. Grace believes that the opinion of God is all that matters.

Shame mixes hide. Grace sets us free. Shame pearls rocks. Grace lifts our head. Shame is the language of the thief. Grace is the language of Jesus, the one who stoops down into the dirt and says, you are worthy now.

Not if, not when, you are worthy of love and belonging and forgiveness now right this minute as is. So whatever you've done, whatever you've said or thought that maybe has you down in the dirt right now, know this. God stoops down.

And I'm praying you'd find him there today. See you back tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you,

would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out? For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lake point.church slash daily drive.