WE’VE EVEN FORGOTTEN HOW TO BLUSH?

“Were they ashamed when they had  committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, NEITHER COULD THEY BLUSH: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 6:15

Those were the words of Jeremiah as he described the spiritual condition of his country, the nation of Judah. The sins of the nation of Judah  were tragic. But there was something even more alarming that broke the heart of the weeping prophet. What was it? It was the fact they felt no shame for their sins. That’s what he meant when he said, “…neither could they blush.”

AMERICA IS MUCH LIKE JUDAH. 

When I read the words in our verse for today, they express the same thoughts I have about our country today. America has drifted far from the Lord and that alone should break our hearts. But what’s even more concerning is, we too, have forgotten how to blush! You would have to have had your head in the sand not to have noticed how the moral climate of our society has drastically shifted in the last few years. 

Sins that used to slink down back alleys are strutting down main street today. More and more people are living in open sin … and they don’t think a thing about it. The prevailing attitude seems to be…What’s the big deal about having sex before you’re married, or cheating on your spouse, or stealing from the government, or lying to get ahead at work, or having an abortion, or bailing on your family? Who are you to tell me that what I am doing is wrong?! 

Listen to how the Scripture pictures these attitudes, “This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says, ‘I have done no wrong’” (Proverbs 30:20). The adulterous woman is like the growing number of people in our world today. Every time I read through the book of Jeremiah, it sounds like he’s describing America to a tee. Much like Judah, our nation has drifted so far from the Lord, we’ve become a people who have forgotten how to blush.

CAN YOU FEEL THE SHAME? 

The Bible warns us, “But exhort one  another daily, while it is called Today;  lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). One of the marks of a hardened heart is the inability to feel shame and conviction of the Holy Spirit. If you can sin BIG TIME and not feel the sting of the Lord’s displeasure, something is very wrong inside. Just before Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion, Peter was the one who boasted and bragged that he was ready to go with the Lord to prison and even to death. He said all the other disciples may deny Christ, but he would NEVER deny Him. 

As you know, however, he did deny him … not once … not twice … but three times in a row. And after the third denial, he even cursed and swore as he tried to convince his accusers he didn’t know Jesus. It was at that moment the Bible says, “And the Lord turned, and looked  upon Peter… And Peter went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 20:61-62). He could feel the shame. Peter failed miserably. But praise God, he didn’t blow it off like it wasn’t a big deal. He still knew how to blush, to feel shame and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Do you?

FEELING THE SHAME SO YOU CAN FEEL NO SHAME.

Does God want us to live in shame? Absolutely not! But, He wants us to feel the shame and to come out of the deception that our sins are “no big deal” so that we can get right with Him. If we follow the example of the adulterous woman and say, “I am not guilty” (when we clearly are), we don’t erase the guilt, we just lie to ourselves. 

If you remember, after Pilate declared that He found no fault in the Lord Jesus, he went ahead anyway to pass the sentence of death upon Him. And then Pilate deceived himself when he proclaimed, “I am innocent of the blood of this just man.” But we all know that he wasn’t innocent. Rather, he sent an innocent man to his death. Rivers of water could not remove the guilt on Pilate’s heart and hands … yet he felt no shame. 

Here is the truth about shame: until you feel the shame of your sin … until breaking God’s law breaks your heart, you will never be able to get right with Him. But, when you soften your heart and allow God’s truth to permeate and convict, you can rightly deal with the sin that has become a part of you.

Peter went out and wept bitterly over denying His Lord. He thought there was no way for him to ever be restored … but he was wrong! His shame and conviction before God opened the door for the Lord’s grace, forgiveness, and restoration.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Just as with Peter, the same can be true of you. Do you know how to blush . . . how to feel ashamed of yourself if and when you know you’ve sinned against the Lord? If so, thank God for it. It shows that your heart is still sensitive to Him. Get your sins out of the closet and under His blood. Humbly confess to Him and claim His complete and total forgiveness and cleansing. Begin anew to walk in His ways. Make the decision to quit compromising with sin. You’ll be so glad that you did. And God will be glorified. 

Think it over . . . 

Doug Pierce is a Church planter and a pastor. In 2003 he started, and continues to pastor First Independent Methodist Church in Madison, Mississippi. His #1 priority is to glorify God in all aspects of ministry. He does this through teaching his congregation to Love God, Love One Another, and Love Others to God. Prayer, outreach, and church growth through evangelism are vital parts of his ministry. He and his wife Suzanne live in Madison, Mississippi where they also enjoy their children and grandchildren.

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