12.16-How does Jesus overcome the guilt and shame of immoral behavior?

12.16-


Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  At the time of His birth it was declared his name was Jesus because he would save his people from their sins.

The reason God tells people to avoid something is because it will cause regret.

Jesus rescued people from the guilt of sin when they were caught in immorality, but He cautioned and warned them to leave the immorality behind.

John 8.

8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

leave the immorality behind.

In the Old Testament God's people had wandered around among the pagans and become immoral and it destroyed them with disease.

The result of immorality and betrayal and disloyalty have many negative consequences.  True 3,000 years ago and true today.

Guilt, shame, distance from God and those we love.  You can't find culture where disloyalty is a positive value.

Leave immorality behind.  Receive the grace, amazing grace of Jesus.  Know that if you turn to him and repent of the worldly, selfish way of life and he does not condemn you.  He wants to extend His mercy to all of us.

It is mercy that powers true transformation.  We get our self image from the Mercy of God and we can become different from our past.

Romans 12.

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.