The Shadow Of Shame [Shadows] - Pastor Barry Baugh

Shame is a universal experience—something every person, regardless of age or background, has faced. It’s that feeling that makes us want to hide, to cover up our mistakes, or to wish we could erase certain moments from our past. But shame was never God’s design for us. From the very beginning, God created us to be fully known and fully loved, without shame. In Genesis, Adam and Eve walked with God in complete vulnerability, but after their disobedience, shame entered the picture and they hid from God. This pattern continues today: when we make mistakes or are wounded by others’ words or actions, shame tempts us to hide, to isolate, and to believe we are unworthy of love or forgiveness.

Yet, God’s heart is to step into those very places we’d rather forget. He invites us to bring our shame into the light, not so He can condemn us, but so He can cover us, heal us, and redeem our stories. The first step toward healing is honesty—being real with God and with trusted people about our struggles. When Adam and Eve confessed, God covered them, foreshadowing the ultimate covering Jesus would provide through His sacrifice. The blood shed in the garden points to the cross, where Jesus paid for all our shame and sin.

God doesn’t waste our pain or our shame. He is in the business of redemption—turning what was broken into something beautiful. Like the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is mended with gold, God fills the cracks of our lives with His grace, making our stories even more valuable and beautiful than before. Our past, our mistakes, and our shame become testimonies of God’s goodness and power to redeem. The invitation is to stop hiding, bring our shame into the light, and let God rewrite our stories. When we do, we not only experience freedom ourselves, but we become living proof to others that God can redeem any story.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Shame thrives in secrecy, but loses its power in the light. The enemy does his best work when we keep our struggles hidden, convincing us that if anyone knew our real story, we’d be rejected. But when we bring our shame into the open—first to God, then to trusted friends—we break the cycle of isolation and allow God’s healing to begin. [13:45]
• 2. God’s original design was for us to be fully known and fully loved, without shame. In the garden, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed, symbolizing complete vulnerability and acceptance. Sin introduced shame, but God’s desire to know and love us completely has never changed. He still invites us to walk in that same freedom today. [09:40]
• 3. The first step to healing is honesty. Healing doesn’t begin with perfection, but with confession—admitting our brokenness to God and to others. Psalm 32 reminds us that when we refuse to confess, we waste away inside, but when we’re honest, God forgives and restores us. Honesty is the doorway to freedom. [16:06]
• 4. God covers what shame exposes. In Genesis, after Adam and Eve confessed, God covered them with animal skins—a powerful foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice. God doesn’t ignore our shame; He covers it with His grace, offering forgiveness and a new beginning. Our worst moments are not the end of our story when we let God in. [17:24]
• 5. God redeems our brokenness and uses it for His glory. Like Kintsugi pottery, our cracks and scars become part of a beautiful testimony when filled with God’s grace. The very places we thought disqualified us become the places where God’s power and love shine the brightest, offering hope to others who are still hiding. [25:28]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:28] - Celebrating What God Is Doing in Youth
• [02:02] - Opening Prayer and Series Introduction
• [02:27] - Defining Shadows and Recap
• [03:17] - Introducing the Shadow of Shame
• [04:17] - A Personal Story of Embarrassment
• [05:26] - Where Shame Comes From
• [06:28] - The Isolating Power of Shame
• [07:03] - God Steps Into Our Shame
• [08:05] - Shame Was Never God’s Design
• [09:40] - Vulnerability Before Shame
• [10:47] - The Fall: How Shame Entered
• [12:01] - Hiding from God
• [13:45] - The Enemy’s Work in Secrecy
• [16:06] - Honesty as the First Step to Healing
• [17:24] - God Covers What Shame Exposes
• [18:33] - Jesus Paid for Our Shame
• [19:10] - God Redeems Broken Stories
• [20:59] - Stop Hiding, Start Healing
• [22:07] - Bring Shame Into the Light
• [22:45] - Let God Rewrite Your Story
• [23:52] - Kintsugi: Beauty in Brokenness
• [25:28] - God Makes Brokenness Beautiful
• [27:15] - Walking in Freedom from Shame
• [28:28] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Bible Reading

Genesis 2:25–3:10 (ESV) — 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Psalm 32:3-5 (ESV) — 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Romans 8:28 (ESV) — 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Observation Questions

1. In Genesis 2:25, what does it mean that Adam and Eve were “naked and were not ashamed”? How does this change after they eat the fruit?
2. According to the sermon, what are the two main sources of shame in our lives? ([06:00])
3. What did Adam and Eve do immediately after realizing their nakedness, and what does this show us about the nature of shame?
4. In Psalm 32, what happens to the person who keeps silent about their sin, and what changes when they confess?

Interpretation Questions

1. The sermon says that shame was never God’s design for us. Why do you think God’s original plan involved being “fully known and fully loved, without shame”? ([09:40])
2. Why does shame make us want to hide—from God and from others? How does this hiding affect our relationship with God and people? ([12:01])
3. The sermon mentions that the first step to healing is honesty. Why is honesty with God and trusted people so important for breaking the power of shame? ([16:06])
4. The pastor used the image of Kintsugi pottery—broken pieces mended with gold—to describe God’s redemption. What does this say about how God views our brokenness and shame? ([25:28])

Application Questions

1. The sermon says, “Shame thrives in secrecy, but loses its power in the light.” Is there an area of your life where you’ve been hiding because of shame? What would it look like to bring that into the light with God or a trusted friend? ([13:45])
2. Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with fig leaves after they sinned. What are some “fig leaves” or ways you try to cover up your own mistakes or pain? How effective are these strategies? ([12:36])
3. The first step to healing is honesty. Is there something you need to be honest about—with God, with yourself, or with someone else? What’s holding you back from taking that step? ([16:06])
4. The sermon says God “covers what shame exposes.” How does it feel to know that God wants to cover your shame, not expose or condemn you? ([17:24])
5. The pastor shared that God can redeem our brokenness and use it for His glory, like Kintsugi pottery. Can you think of a time when God used a painful or shameful part of your story to help someone else? ([25:28])
6. What is one practical way you can stop hiding and start healing this week? Is there a specific action you can take to let God rewrite your story? ([20:59])
7. The sermon invites us to “walk in freedom from shame.” What would it look like for you to live more freely, knowing you are fully known and fully loved by God? ([27:15])