 Amen. So tonight we're continuing in our Up from Slavery sermon series, and what we've been doing is we've been going through biblical lessons in the book Up from Slavery, which is the autobiography of Booker T. Washington. As I've said before in the introduction to the series, the reason that I like the book so much is because here we have a man who had seemingly no advantages in his life. He had no advantages. He had everything working against him. He had everything from, you know, he started out from zero as far as money goes. He started out from zero as far as education goes. He started out, I mean, the man couldn't write. He couldn't read. He couldn't do anything. And, you know, all he had was the determination to succeed. So we've been talking about that a little bit for the first few sermons. But this morning, or not this morning, this evening, we're not going to spend a lot of time in the book this evening, but I want to show you one disadvantage that I had not thought of before I read the book itself. There's a disadvantage that Mr. Washington points out on page 18, which is going to be the subject. I'm just going to use it to kind of spark the sermon this evening. But it's a disadvantage that you wouldn't really think of unless he would have brought it up in context of his life. I'm going to read it for you starting at the top of page 18 in Up from Slavery. Keep your place in Zephaniah, chapter 3. We'll get there in a few minutes. He writes in the book, I have no idea, as I have stated elsewhere, who my grandmother was. I have or have had uncles and aunts and cousins, but I have no knowledge as to where most of them are. My case will illustrate that that of hundreds of thousands of black people in every part of the country. The very fact that the white boy is conscious that if he fails in life, he will disgrace the whole family record, extending back through many generations, is of tremendous value in helping him to resist temptations. The fact that the individual has behind and surrounding him proud family history and connection serves as a stimulus to help him to overcome obstacles when he is striving for success. So here Mr. Washington brings up, you know, we obviously can see the material things that he was disadvantaged with, the educational things he was disadvantaged with. Here he brings up a super important point, and the Bible talks about it a lot, is that he was disadvantaged. And he uses it in the context of, you know, the former slaves had broken families. They didn't have, you know, these long lineages of families that were kept together because of the situation in the south and during the slave times. So he tells us that that is a disadvantage that these families are broken up and that there isn't this long lineage of families in the context that it is a lack of shame that is put on the individual that does not have that family to go back on. Meaning, you know, if you don't succeed or you do the wrong thing, you will disgrace or put shame upon your family. He lacked that motivation. And he said that that was a great, it was great value in deterring from temptation. Which is, you know, what we could call, what the Bible would call, sin. Look at Zephaniah chapter 3 and verse number 5. So what he's talking about is the idea of broken families versus intact families. You know, this idea that you want to make your parents proud. This idea that you want to do, you know, your family name right. You know, that you want to make it not ashamed as the Bible would say, you know, your family. So what I want to talk about this evening, the title of the sermon this evening is the power of shame. The power of shame. Look, what do we know about shame? What is the world telling us about shame today? The world is actually telling us that shame is bad. That you should not feel guilty about anything. You should not have shame that there is nothing that's shameful. Well, what does the Bible say? And Booker T. Washington himself said in the book that we're studying. He said, look, this is a powerful tool. It's a great value to keep someone from temptation. Is this idea of shame? Look at Zephaniah chapter 3 and look at verse number 5. Look what the Bible says. The Bible says the just Lord. The just Lord is in the midst thereof. The just Lord meaning the Lord of justice. The Lord of perfect justice. If you're just, that means that you're righteous. That's what it means. The Lord is in the midst thereof. The just Lord is in the midst thereof. He will not do iniquity. Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light. He faileth not. But the unjust knoweth no shame. Ouch! Think about that. Think about that statement. Highlight that statement in your Bible because the world today is telling you that you should not feel guilt about things. Well, look at that this evening. You shouldn't feel guilty. You know, guilt is something that was put upon you. Well, look on that, but that's not what the Bible says. The Bible says if you know no shame, you're unjust if you know no shame. Shame is gone today. Shame is going away today in the Bible. Look, the Bible lists specific things that we should be ashamed of. Shame is a powerful thing. Is it a good thing? Let's look at it. Turn to Isaiah chapter 47. Let's look at some things that we should be ashamed of in the Bible. Look, we should be ashamed of all sin in the Bible. We're going to look at one main sin this evening as an example just to show you on how you should be ashamed of sin. But you should be ashamed of all sin in the Bible. And the world today is telling you that you should not be ashamed of sin. Look at Isaiah chapter 47 in verse number one. Isaiah chapter 47 in verse number one. Booker T. Washington himself said that the idea of shame in the context of shaming your family is a valuable thing. Is a valuable thing that he did not have. Look, he looked at it. Think about this. He looked at the idea of him not having that, not being able to be ashamed because he did something where his parents were ashamed of him or his grandparents or his uncles and aunts were ashamed of the family name. He looked at that as a disadvantage in life and he was right. Look at Isaiah chapter 47 in verse number one. Let's look at an idea of something that the Bible is very specific and talks a lot about how we should be ashamed of this one specific thing. Look at Isaiah 47.1. Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground. There is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans. For thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones and grind meal. Uncover thy locks. Make bear the leg. Uncover the thigh. Pass over the rivers. Make note that it says make bear the leg and it says uncover the thigh. Meaning the thigh is, and then look at verse number three. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered. The Bible here is defining your nakedness like is your thigh is your nakedness. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered. Yay, thy shame. You see what it's doing here? It is equating your nakedness which it defines as your thigh. It's very specific. The Bible is very specific. It's defining your nakedness which is your thigh in this case as your shame. As a shameful thing. If it's uncovered. So your thigh to be uncovered, your nakedness is just the same thing. Is ashamed. It's a shame. Look, the Bible here is saying that this is going to be like a judgment. It's like you're going to be shamed because of this. Thy shame shall be seen. If people shall see that nakedness that is a shame to you. I will take vengeance. I will not meet thee as a man. So it defines nakedness. It says that someone seeing that nakedness should be shameful. Turn to Genesis chapter nine. We'll see a specific story in the Bible where someone looking upon nakedness of someone else is a terrible shame. Look at Genesis chapter nine and look at verse 22. Now look, a lot of people have different theories about this story and I'm not negating those theories. I'm going to tell you my theory about this story and if you've heard other theories about this story, that's fine. I personally like to just go with what the Bible says and not fill in gaps and things there. I'm not against other theories but I'm just saying that I think the Bible is very clear and says enough for us to understand what's happening here, especially in the context of what we're going to talk about this evening and what we're talking about now. Look at Genesis chapter nine and verse 22. And Noah began to be a husband and he planted a vineyard and he drank of the wine and was drunken and he was uncovered within his tent. Noah drank alcohol from wine that he made and he got drunk and he was naked inside his tent because he drank too much and drinking is not going to do any favors for you. That's just a side note of this story right here. And Ham, the father of Canaan saw the nakedness so Ham is the son of Noah he saw the nakedness of his father. Now what does it say that he did there? There's a verb there that he did. It says he saw his father's nakedness. He looked upon it and he told his two brethren without. Look at verse 23. And Shem and Japheth took a garment these are the other two brothers they took a garment and laid it upon their shoulders and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father and their faces were backwards that they what? What was the bad thing? That they saw not their father's nakedness. Here you have a situation where one of the sons went in and saw his father in a bad situation where he was not covered as he should have been because he had too much to drink and he was being foolish and drank too much alcohol and he looked upon his father's nakedness and then he went and told his brothers what he had done. This shows you the seriousness of nakedness and of looking upon the nakedness of someone that you are not supposed to look at that and you think I understand why a lot of people think that he must have done something but I don't believe so personally because this just shows you how programmed we've been today today nakedness everybody is naked but in the Bible it was a big deal and to God it is a big deal it is shameful in the Bible and so look Noah awoke from his wine verse 24 and knew what his younger son had done to him as a matter of fact what else he did was he didn't have respect for his father by doing that and you say okay what's the big deal there all kids are disrespectful to their parents now turn to Romans 1 turn to Romans 1 look that's another thing we need to deprogram ourselves about we need to deprogram ourselves about the seriousness of being disrespectful to your parents it's a big deal look it's such a big deal folks it is such a big deal when you look at Romans 1 and you look at verse 30 when it's talking about people that have literally been given over to a rejected or reprobate mind unnatural wicked people you know what one of the ways that it describes them is in verse 30 backbiter's haters of God despiteful proud boasters inventors of evil things disobedient to parents look it's a big deal what Ham did in my opinion nothing needs to be added to that story because what he did by looking upon his father by shaming his father by looking upon his father's nakedness in that bad moment that his father was in notice how notice what they did notice what they did when they fixed the situation they walked in backwards and covered him so they would not look upon him which was the problem is that he looked upon his father's nakedness he did not protect his father he disrespected his father and he looked upon his shame and look just because we've been deprogrammed today to be like you know it's no big deal look it's a big deal to God it does not change no matter how many different fashion trends and how long you've been seeing different fashion trends God doesn't change it doesn't matter you change we change but God does not change it was a big deal 2 Timothy 3 talking about perilous times in the end it'll talk about all these wicked people and they're not going to listen all this you know what else they're going to be disobedient to parents disrespectful to their parents it's a big deal being disrespectful to your parents look Ham did a bad thing that it's just listed straight in the bible there's no gaps that need to be filled in in my opinion going back to the shame of nakedness the shame of nakedness look it doesn't matter what you think this is what the bible says 2 Samuel 10 look this is a big problem today look this is a big problem for us today you say well I dress appropriately but tell me that you're not used to it tell me that you're not getting used to it with what you're seeing out in the world today and look it affects people it affects people 2 Samuel 10 look at verse number 4 let's look at how big of a deal nakedness is how shameful nakedness is look at verse number 4 Hanon took David's servants and shaved off so David sent these men to go and make peace and see how the neighbors are doing and this guy thought they were spies and here's what he did to them and Hanon took David's servants and shaved off one half of their beards and cut off their garments in the middle even to their buttocks and sent them away that's funny he cut off all their clothes and shaved their beards that's a good cartoon it's a Sunday school story but look it wasn't funny it wasn't funny in the Bible we may think oh that's kind of a silly thing that he did there let's see if David thought it was silly let's see if David got these guys they came back and he's like you got you didn't he you got you didn't he look at verse 5 and when they told it unto David he sent to meet them because the men were greatly what and the king said and when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-Rehob the Syrians of Zoba 20,000 foot men and King Mecca a thousand men of Ishtab 12,000 men why did he do that why did he go hire all these people because when David heard of it he sent Joab and all the hosts of the mighty men so look this was such a big deal it was such a shameful thing that men are going to die over this David is going to go to war and defeat these people over this shame so look no accursed ham over this shame David went to war over this shame look having your nakedness uncovered should be a shame to you it should be a powerful thing to you turn to Exodus chapter 28 look this is the power of shame and this is one of the main sins in the Bible that the Bible says that is just equated straight to shame look at Exodus chapter 28 and verse 42 Exodus chapter 28 look at verse 42 and thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness from the loins even unto the thighs shall they reach once again defining our nakedness being from our loins above our waist down to our thighs meaning from your knees to your belly button basically is your nakedness now imagine that that your knee to above your waist is your nakedness and just think of today just think of today I mean there are people literally walking around naked everywhere today by this definition I mean nakedness from actual dress standards to what people set in front of their eyes on a regular basis is out of control today look we must deprogram ourselves from what we have been programmed to think is no big deal I mean look our society is literally to a point where if you said I'm just never going to see nakedness you could not leave your house that is where it is at today that is where it is at today because why because there's no shame today because shame has been taken away from that today this is what Washington is talking about shame is a good thing we need to put shame back on that today we need to recognize at least us Bible believing Christians need to recognize what is shameful and what is not and we need to deprogram ourselves from what the world is trying to program us into but look you should not be purposely putting nakedness in front of your eyes and we've talked about this from going to beaches to the internet we started on the internet the last time I looked two thirds of men are regularly looking at pornography on the internet that's a big deal it's shameful it's shameful just like ham you are looking upon somebody else's nakedness it's a shameful thing it should be a shame to look on the nakedness of someone who is not your spouse this is why I personally I avoid trips to Walmart whenever possible and I'm serious my wife is like well I gotta go to Walmart I'm like have fun look it's shocking it's disgusting what people are wearing today people have no shame about their nakedness today they just don't care I mean they leave the house dressed or barely dressed like a hobo some of these people cover your nakedness it matters on the Walmart issue it matters how you look this idea that it doesn't matter how I look where are people getting this you look like a slob people will treat you like a slob do you know that take some pride in your appearance take care of yourself I'm not saying be vain that's the other end of the spectrum but the other end of that spectrum the other end of the vanity spectrum is just zero shame in anything and that's what's going on today my wife is telling me about this this can only happen in America my wife is telling me about this body positive movement who's heard of this raise your hand if you've heard about this we're basically it's body positive this only happens in America this can only be an American thing we're basically you know obese diabetic Americans who are like you don't have to be in any kind of shape because it's all good there's no shame in anything that's not good only in America people can literally celebrate unhealthiness in this country but look it's really anything to divert the blame off yourself is what it is back to the point cover your nakedness don't dress in a shameful way take care of yourself you know what else all sorts of things should have shame on them all sorts of other sins back to what Washington was alluding to your life just in general your life he's talking about temptations your life should not be a shameful one folks your parents your relatives people that love you and know you can just be like oh you're living in drunkenness you're living in fornication you're not making anything of your life look there should be shame attached to all of that but all of these things whether it be nakedness or drunkenness or fornication especially those things they've all become normal today they've all become things that are not shameful today because look if you're living in fornication and your parents are looking at that there's really two ways you can deal with that as a parent you can say you know what you can either look at that and say well my son's living in fornication and I'm a terrible parent because I've raised a son to live in terrible sin like that that's one way or you can just say you know what we're going to remove all shame from that and we're going to just decide that that's okay we're going to decide where the world's going today that's where the world's going today look it's all about living a guilt free life today let me give you a quote from a website called life as a human dot com I mean how many people think this is a website you should be on just from the the title there look some people look there's a whole new movement today designed to get everyone to release all feelings of guilt of anything some people hold on to guilt feelings believing that the amount of guilt that they have represents their level of thoughtfulness and caring that assumption could not be farther from the truth think about it this way would you want someone you love and care about to suffer guilt feelings over something he may or may not have done to you yes that's my answer to that but look it I added that guilt is self punishment our friends and loved ones would never want us to inflict that kind of pain on ourselves first of all is guilt self punishment is that what guilt is turn to Romans chapter 2 where does guilt come from I mean where does guilt come from look at Romans chapter 2 look psychology today the whole study the whole field of psychology today would tell you that guilt is ingrained in you through your parents pushing your karma on you or some religious beliefs that were pushed on you and forced on you in an impressive upbringing that's what the world will tell you that's what psychology today will tell you or by belief in a book like the bible that just forces you into a bunch of guilt that's what the entire field of psychology thinks today that guilt is something that has been pushed into you by a belief system that your parents or somebody that raised you put you into but is that true look at Romans chapter 2 and verse 14 for when the Gentiles which have not the law do by nature the things contained in the law these having not the law are a law unto themselves here's a bunch of people that didn't have the bible they didn't go to church they didn't do anything and they did the things in the law and more than that look at verse 15 which show the work of the law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witness and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another look the bible here is saying that people that never been to church people that never read the bible they're going to accuse themselves they're going to feel guilty about things and what that's going to do is it's going to push them it's going to push them into certain types of behavior look someone who's never been to church someone who's never even opened the bible one time in their life will feel shame will feel guilt and as a matter of fact they have to be trained by stupid websites like life is a human dot com to not feel guilt and to not feel shame it makes me think like it makes me think that people don't think their positions through because what does the psychologist today do with that what does he do with the fact that somebody who's never opened the bible never had a religious upbringing never had any of that feels shame and feels guilt what do you do with that where did it come from where did it come from they don't think their positions through that's the problem if they did they would realize there's an answer that is an infinite answer that you can't dead end you can't dead end the answer look you have to be trained to not feel guilt you have to be trained to not feel shame shame is a good thing and it's the fact as washington was talking about the fact that people without strong families they lacked this shame and it was a disadvantage he said and he knew it so look folks preserve your shame preserve your shame and you know how you do that don't expose yourself to sin if you expose yourself to sin whether it be through tv or all these subtle methods or whatever you're watching on the internet it's like you are going to you're going to sear your conscience you're going to scar your shame you're going to take away your shame it'll desensitize you and you will lose that look shame is a warning system for you shame is an alarm system for you when you get too close to something when you get too involved in something you feel shame you feel guilt look and the better you are at preserving your conscience at ensuring that thing the better this alarm system is going to work for you the more you are in the bible the better this alarm system is going to work for you you're going to get exposed to something and you're going to feel guilty you're going to feel shame that's where you need to be because then it'll keep you as washington said from temptation it'll keep you from that it's a good thing because guess what a better question for psychologists today would be this why not just not care if you feel ashamed instead they try to get you to not feel shame towards things and not feel shame about sin whether it be whatever kind of sin there is they say you don't need to they try to deprogram that out of you but if it's no big deal and it's not real and it's not a bad thing why doesn't this not care because here's the thing it's a natural thing to not want to feel ashamed it's a natural thing and it doesn't work it's like trying to defy gravity but guess what does work turn to 2 Timothy chapter 4 guess what does work they know it doesn't work they know it doesn't work to tell somebody oh you're going to feel ashamed for all this but don't worry shame is okay look here's the thing here's what they can do though 2 Timothy chapter 4 look at verse number 1 they can sear the conscience 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse number 1 now the spirit speak expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils speaking lies and hypocrisy having their conscience this is Romans chapter 2 14 and 15 this is that law written in your heart having their conscience seared with a hot iron scarred folks what happens to a scar or a callous you know what what happens to it when you get a scarred part I have a scarred part on my knee on the outside of one of my knees and I used to I did something to it I hit it really hard on some piece of equipment when I was a kid I just scarred my knee and I just can't feel anything right there and I used to like as a kid in high school and stuff I used to take like a pin and put it into my knee and be like look at this show all my friends I could stick a pin in my knee and it was like the funniest thing ever but it was scarred it was seared I couldn't feel anything that's what a scar will do it's a disgusting example I know it's in the notes Jared but I used to sit there with a pin look at this guys at wrestling practice and just stick a pin through my knee that's awesome look you can do that to your conscience that's no good you can do that you can sear your literal conscience to wear something that comes in front of you that normally that alarm system would go off it's scarred but it doesn't do anything imagine that it's not good Christians can do that look just because you're saved you're not protected from this you can still sear your conscience it's dangerous look this is why you'll see people that are 30, 40 years old and they're damaged human beings because their conscience is just seared in certain areas they just don't care they don't care how they treat people what they would do to somebody or whatever you can sear your conscience folks there should be shame in all these sins laziness, drunkenness whatever this is why drunkenness is a shameful thing did you know that? this is why the drunk always wants company this is why the drunk gets mad when other people don't want to drink with him because look they want company they don't want to be ashamed all by themselves they want validation so they're not ashamed we're all a bunch of drunks that's how the drunk wants to feel because that takes away or makes it less hurtful to him his shame in what he's doing turn to Luke chapter 9 here's the last point on shame's a good thing shame's a good thing Booker T. Washington was pointing out we don't have as much shame as the white people do at this time in history because of their families that are intact he's like that's a disadvantage to us he's like shame's a good thing but here's what you don't want you don't want people to be ashamed of you when people are ashamed of you that's not good look at Luke chapter 9 look at verse 26 look what the bible says here for whosoever shall be ashamed of me this is Jesus he's saying these are red words right here if you have a red letter bible Jesus is saying look if you're ashamed of me if you're ashamed of me and of my words of him shall the son of man be ashamed look if Jesus is saying if you're ashamed of me he's like I'm going to be ashamed of you it's like talk about the kind of shame you really don't want coming down on you turn to Romans chapter 10 Romans chapter 10 so while shame's a good thing it'll deter you from sin we should always protect ourselves and protect our conscience so we always feel shame look at Romans chapter 10 look at verse 11 look what the bible says for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation this is a very well known verse for the scripture saith do so ever believeth on him shall not be ashamed look you don't want Jesus to be ashamed of you and everybody I guarantee you you don't want to be ashamed of Jesus because otherwise you're eventually going to be ashamed we come to a lot of doors of people who are ashamed of Jesus they're ashamed of Jesus they don't want to talk about religion they're ashamed you want to bring up religion this is the man today that you know you come up to some guy on the street with a bible and he's just like he's ashamed of the bible he's ashamed of the bible you know the big tough guy today you know this is what liberal christianity has done it's painted this picture of the christian being some whoops or something like this where you can't be you can't be a hard working you know man that's ruining his family and walk around carrying a bible the two are incompatible no the two are exactly compatible but the problem is liberal christianity today has literally made people ashamed of the word of god people are ashamed I don't want to talk about religion how many people do you know like this it's a shame look those people are going to be ashamed one day because Jesus christ is going to be ashamed of them look it's a big deal shame is something that is a great tool that should drive us in our lives we should not be ashamed of the lord jesus christ but we should be ashamed of everything that is sinful in the world we have got to deprogram ourselves and you say even us even us because you know what especially california with the whole nakedness thing it's ridiculous it's ridiculous look we've got to have standards we've got to have standards if we want the next generation to have any chance at all we've got to draw some lines and you know what those lines are going to be lines that nobody else draws because otherwise we're going to be ashamed with the way that our children turn out we must follow the lines of the bible i mean i hate to say the same thing every sermon but i mean that's what it is it doesn't matter what the world thinks it doesn't matter what you think it doesn't matter how used to things you get you must deprogram yourself to this idea that nothing is shameful because just about everything that we see out in the world today is shameful especially this idea of nakedness shame is a good thing don't let it get programmed out of you even a man like Booker T. Washington that is so brilliant that he recognized this as a disadvantage how did he recognize this how did he recognize this do you ever wonder when you're reading this book by the way how did he know all this stuff the guy had no education how did he know all this stuff how did he find wisdom how did he know all this stuff you know in the first few pages you know what he started learning to read the bible that's how he knew all this stuff because he studied and he learned the bible and that's where he got this as well and look what it did for him look what it did for him in his life shame is a good thing don't let anybody tell you otherwise and have a word of prayer Dear Heavenly Father I thank you