Suicide

1. Guilt Emotional Distress Suicide Misery Broken Lives Unhappiness Heartache

2. Robert Schuller on Guilt “I don’t think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive of human personality and hence, counter-productive for the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.”

3. Robert Schuller on Guilt “Jesus treated people positively. You have to build people up in order to help them. Making them feel guilty doesn’t do them any good. They already feel guilty. That’s why they won’t come to church. They need self-esteem. They want to feel good about themselves.”

4. Rick WarrenA Purpose Driven Church “Don’t hit them over the head with everything they’re doing wrong. A lot of their sins will be dealt with after they come to Christ.”

5. The Bible on Guilt And when He [Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (Jn. 16:8). Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death….Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:23, 37).

6. The Bible on Guilt And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.” (Acts 8:18-24).

7. Guilt Schuller and those like him treat guilt as the problem. Guilt is not the problem, its the result of the problem! Treating the symptom not the cause!

8. U.S. Dept. of Health Report on Youth Suicide • Religion is to blame for some teenage homosexual suicides • Fundamentalist religion portray homosexuality as sinful and this creates irresolvable internal conflicts for youth who adhere to their faith but believe they will not change their sexual orientation. • Since taught sinful – they feel guilty and condemned to hell and attempt suicide in despair of ever obtaining redemption. • Solution: Reassess homosexuality in a positive context to avoid risking guilt feelings among homosexuals.

9. World Says the Homosexual Can’t Change! What Does the Bible Say? Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). …Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites…will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed… (1 Cor. 6:9-11). …And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. (Acts 18:8).

10. World Says the Homosexual Can’t Change! What Does the Bible Say? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-4). Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Cor. 5:17).

11. Homosexuals – Marriage - Guilt Why Do Homosexuals Want Churches To Bless Their Unions? Why Do They Want the Right of Marriage? Trying to Rid Themselves of Guilt Feelings! Proper way of ridding ourselves of guilt is not by trying to convince ourselves that evil is really good. Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20).

12. Blood of Christ Can Cleanse the Conscience How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14). To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood (Rev. 1:5). And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. (Acts 22:16). Stop Sinful Behavior & Seek Forgiveness

13. Guilt Can Be Good This charge I commit to you, son Timothy…that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected… (1 Tim. 1:18-19). When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin (Psa. 32:3-5). O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. (Psalms 38:1-4).

14. Violating the Conscience and Ignoring the Guilt Is Serious Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness (Eph. 4:19). Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron (1 Tim. 4:2). Having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck (1 Tim. 1:19). But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).

15. Man’s Attempts To Rid Guilt: • Deny any absolute moral standard In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” (Luke 12:19-20). Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.” (John 18:38).

16. Man’s Attempts To Rid Guilt: • Find someone sinful who will sympathize with your sinful actions So he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?“….Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire for the word of the LORD today.” Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?” So they said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”…. So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil….”(1 Kings 22:4-8). Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits. (1 Cor. 15:33).

17. Man’s Attempts To Rid Guilt: • Blame someone else Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen. 3:12-13) And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”…. “But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.” (1 Sam. 15:15, 21). So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD….” (2 Sam. 12:13).

18. Man’s Attempts To Rid Guilt: • Avoid thinking about it • Immerse self in TV, hobby, music, etc. • Dull senses with alcohol or other drugs • Don’t come to a service like this When the TV is turned off and you’ve sobered up – the pain will still be there.

19. Man’s Attempts To Rid Guilt: • Victims of the environment Joseph: “There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9). But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself (Daniel 1:8).

20. Man’s Attempts To Rid Guilt: • Call it a biological disease; genetics (Ezek. 18). Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him” (Jn. 9:1-3). Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 18:3). For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10).

21. Man’s Attempts To Rid Guilt: • Deny any absolute moral standard • Find someone sinful who will sympathize with your sinful actions • Blame someone else • Avoid thinking about it • Victims of environment • Call it a biological disease; genetics ANYTHING is acceptable, EXCEPT: Changing the behavior that brought on the pain to begin with!

22. Cause of Guilt – Sin! Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17). He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Genesis 4:5-7).

23. 2 Ways to Handle Guilt of Sin: Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself (Matt. 27:3-5). And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly (Matt. 26:75).

24. Godly Sorrow for Sin For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death (2 Cor. 7:8-10). Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isaiah 30:10). Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins (Isaiah 58:1).

25. Consider: …Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you (Matt. 21:31). Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other… (Luke 18:9-14).

26. Consider: And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged…”

27. Consider: …Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (Luke 7:40-50).

28. Guilt How Do We React To Our Guilt? • Like the Pharisees: Destroy the One Exposing Our Sins? • Like Judas: Destroy Self? • Like King Saul: Blame Others? • Like Peter: Repent and Serve God?