The Destroying Power of Good News

Closing up the second of six gatherings, teaching about the ministry of counseling, our professor, Freddy Baez, read Hebrews 12:1-2. This evening he spoke about fear. One of the points he made that struck me was that the sinful secret in my life are secret because of shame. Shame is the fuel and energy of secret sin. Shame tears you and I apart from the freedom and power of God because it chooses to cling, grasp, infest, and ultimately wants to destroy the spiritual life of God's children. Shame tells us not to do as the scripture tells us, which is to confess our sins before God and brothers, but produces a fear that motivates us to hide our sins. Shame paralyzes us and leaves us helplessly alone with our sin.

In the Hebrews 12:1-2, I am encouraged by the words 'looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame'. The verses are telling us that Jesus, the supplier and the completer of our faith, suffered through the anguish of the cross. But notice 'endured the cross' is further described and related to the fact that Jesus also suffered through the shame of the cross. Perhaps another way of saying it is Jesus knew and experienced the shame of the cross, but rejected the effects of shame of the cross. How did Christ rationalize or even fathom doing such a thing? As I understand it, Jesus suffered the cross and the shame for JOY. Jesus knew something way bigger and more important than death and shame.

So as I sit here blogging and pondering my awesome Lord, I understand a bit more about the Cross. I see how God has made a way for me to escape the trap of sin and shame. I see that with joy Jesus by the Cross came to destroy sin, destroy shame, destroy fear, and destroy death, came to destroy all the strongholds and fruit of sin and Satan and the flesh. This is very good news!