From the Cross: Shame
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Shame is the negative feeling of worthlessness. It fuels thoughts like, “I am of no value. I am worthless. I am a bad person. I will never amount to anything.” First, let’s take note of the difference between guilt and shame. Guilt, yesterday’s topic, believes, “I have done something wrong.” Shame believes, “I AM wrong.” If guilt wants to plague you because of your actions, shame wants to destroy your entire identity. You could even think of it like this: guilt provides the building blocks with which shame can build the house. Once you find yourself living in...
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From the Cross: Guilt
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Guilt is a stronghold that many people bring to the foot of the cross. Guilt is the stomach churning feeling that you have done something wrong. Christian apologists deduce that this negative emotion is one of the main emotions that helps to prove the existence of God. In order for there to be guilt, there must be a moral law within a human being that he or she thinks has been broken. “Conscience” is another word people use to describe this tension that exists between guilt and innocence. And everyone worldwide possesses this conscience at some level or another. Paul...
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From the Cross: Selfishness
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Selfishness is engrained in the heart of every human being. We are all selfish in one way or another. Isn’t selfishness at the heart of all sin? A bent toward self. A desire to want what we want when we want it. What happened in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God and his authority, was rooted in selfishness. I tend to think selfishness and pride are synonymous. A need to be #1. Always needing to be right. A belief that the world revolves around me. It is a mindset that leads to destruction! The solution to selfishness is this: You must be born again (John...
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From the Cross: Broken Marriages
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Broken marriages are plaguing people both inside and outside of the church. Divorce statistics are staggering, even among those who call themselves Christians. There is no greater pain in the hearts of Christians than a marriage that falls apart. No one walks down the aisle on their wedding day and thinks to themselves, “One day, we will end up divorced.” Most every couple truly believes that they will remain together “until death do us part.” Unfortunately, we live in a broken world with broken people who have broken wills and desires. Divorce, though hated by God...
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From the Cross: Prodigal Sons and Daughters
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick One of the greatest heartaches that I hear from congregants is concern for their wayward children. Many people have prodigal sons and daughters who either don’t know Jesus or have run far from God. Parents fear for their children’s eternal salvation. A wandering child who has rejected the faith leaves a believing parent in so much angst. If this is your story, what should you do? First, keep believing! Keep praying for the salvation of your prodigal son or daughter! There is something extraordinarily powerful about a parent’s prayers for a child. Remember, you are...
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From the Cross: Future Uncertainty
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick No one knows the future except God. He controls all (Psalm 24:1). The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness of it all! Genesis 1:1 reminds us that with one word, he created the world and began to write his story! And one day he will end his story (Revelation 22). One day, all of time will be fulfilled and God will make his new heaven and new earth, a home without sin or blemish. This is God’s world. He created it. He controls it. He knows everything…including the future! Uncertainty of the future is another sin pattern that hangs people up. Many in our congregation...
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From the Cross: Inability to Forgive
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Personal offense. The inability to forgive someone who has hurt you. This hangup can keep people in shackles for a lifetime! The first step in breaking free from personal offense is to recognize that it is going to happen in life. We live in a broken world with broken people. Inevitably, we will step on each other’s toes. Only when we truly come to grips with the reality that we owe a billion dollar debt because of our sins can we freely forgive the debt of someone who has hurt us. To escape the prison of bitterness is the ultimate prison break. Bitterness not only defiles...
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From the Cross: Family Conflict
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Family conflict is our next burden that was brought up and laid at the foot of the cross. Few live this life without it! It could be with a sibling, an absent or abusive dad, a controlling mom, a crazy cousin, or a demanding aunt or uncle. So, how do we handle this? First, realize that family conflict has been going on since the beginning of time. Right after the Fall in Genesis 3, do you remember what happened? A family conflict! Cain hated his brother so much that he murdered him. For starters, you can count your blessings that your situation has not resulted in death! Now...
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From the Cross: Health Issues
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Health issues are another thing that many people in our church brought up to lay at the foot of the cross last Easter. This is such a big and nagging problem. We have found ourselves living in a world that is full of sickness and brokenness. We all have only one body that is given to us on this side of eternity. We are one person with three parts: body, soul, and spirit. We must care for all three parts of our being as we live in this broken world. I believe care for the temple is one of the most overlooked and under taught topics in the western church. If we believe in...
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From the Cross: Financial Problems
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Financial problems are another real angst in people’s lives. I would say that financial problems are typically what I would call a fruit issue more than a root issue. Usually the problems arise because of something going on at a deeper heart level. It could be worry, bad stewardship, lack of personal responsibility and discipline, fear, laziness, or just a pure attack from the enemy. Whatever the root issue is, debt and financial tensions can really overwhelm the human heart! Did you know that financial problems are mentioned in the Bible—especially in the book of...
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Selfishness is engrained in the heart of every human being. We are all selfish in one way or another. Isn’t selfishness at the heart of all sin? A bent toward self. A desire to want what we want when we want it.
What happened in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God and his authority, was rooted in selfishness. I tend to think selfishness and pride are synonymous. A need to be #1. Always needing to be right. A belief that the world revolves around me. It is a mindset that leads to destruction!
The solution to selfishness is this: You must be born again (John 3:3). That is what Jesus said so clearly. You are incapable of experiencing the bounty and beauty of the kingdom of God unless you have been born again. Your selfishness must die and be crucified on the cross with Jesus. Then, and only then, can you be raised to a new life that commands a pursuit of living a life that is bent toward serving Jesus and others. It is a supernatural event. It’s something that only the Holy Spirit can do. But it CAN be done. It really IS possible.
The journey toward SELFLESSNESS is a process. Remember, dying on the cross took several days. Sometimes we forget that everything is not a quick fix. But as we daily choose to die to self and daily choose to live for Christ, our self becomes weaker and Jesus becomes stronger in us. Selfishness dies and serving rises!
That’s what Paul meant when he said in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that when we are in Christ, we are a new creation. This means we have been born again in the Spirit! The old has passed away. It’s dead. Crucified with Jesus on the cross. And the new has come! Jesus’s resurrection life is now inside of us and has made us new. This new life changes our hearts, gives us a new vision for God’s kingdom, and invites us to play a significant role in his story as a new creation!
God’s antidote to selfishness is being born again! And when the entire created order has been born again, the kingdom of God will have come back to earth from heaven! It will happen one day! Begin to prepare yourself now for the new heavens and the new earth by ridding your life of selfishness!
From selfish to servant. Free from self to serve.
That is the result of the gospel of Jesus Christ.