From Shame to Fame-

10th of February 2008

TEXT: Psalm 126: 1-6

Introduction: Shame and Fame. These words rhyme alike but hold very different meanings. Shame is a situation of dishonor or disgrace while fame is the state of great renown and public estimation. There have been many people in history that have suffered so much shame in their lives that they would never have enjoyed fame, yet because of an encounter with God, their situation turned around for fame. God is a God who can move people from shame to fame. Today, we will be studying Psalm 126:1-6 and bringing up Biblical examples on how God turns our shame to fame.

In Psalm 126:1-6, when the Lord turned the captivity of Zion; it was said that they were like them that dream. The verse shows that the people of Zion were in such a shameful state, one in which there was no ending in sight that when their deliverance came, it was unreal to them.

One thing we can learn from the case of the people of Zion is that captivity does not necessarily mean physical bondage or slavery; it also suggests a situation that affects one’s mental state of mind. Anything that brings fear or uncertainty in one’s life is captivity. Another thing we can learn from that verse is who the people of Zion were. These were people were God’s Children and hence people who were delivered from bondage, these were not sinners, they were the children of the Almighty God, and so are we. Their spiritual position precipitated help from God despite their dire situation. It is understandable that just like the people of Zion; you are frustrated because despite your diligent service to the Lord, you are still in some form of captivity, but remember that when God turns your situation around, it will be so sudden; that it will be like a dream. God will turn your captivity around this 2008 in Jesus name. Captivity brings us shame and while in captivity, it might seem like the darkest time in your life, but we need to remember that the darkest time of the night is just before dawn, joy comes in the morning and suddenly, your shame will be turned around for fame, in Jesus name.

Psalm 126:2 says that even the heathen (non believers) declared of God’s faithfulness on the people of Zion. God has a stake in each of our situations of captivity, the fact that the world sees our situation as believers means that they are also watching to see if our God will come through for us. His name is pinned to your situation and His deliverance is a sure thing to show the world that He is God- your situation is to declare God’s Glory to the world and therefore, your deliverance will surely come. Stories carried by unbelievers about believers are supposed to be good ones to declare God’s Glory, you can be sure that God will make sure your story is a good one to His Glory. The conclusion should be that the Lord has done great things for you.

Psalm 126:3 is a mighty shout of victory from the captives who had been delivered. Their turn-around was so profound that not only did unbelievers notice, the captives also noticed and couldn’t help but declare their victory. The message here is that your move from shame to fame will be so profound, that your uttering will only be shouts of victory but what brings such victory? Our Lord Jesus Christ encountered various people during His life on earth; these encounters either spelt shame or fame for these people. This means that the secret to our deliverance comes from how we encounter Jesus. Luke 2: 34-35 tells of the story of an old man named Simeon, he gave a prophecy about Jesus Christ’s mandate saying that He (Jesus) is appointed and destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel. In other words, Jesus is going to bring shame to many people and fame to many people, it just depends on which side you are standing relative to Him. Do you want fame? Then assess where you are standing with Christ. Jesus’ friends earn fame while His foes earn shame, what are you? Joseph of Arimathea and Nichodemus were friends of Jesus who obeyed and followed him which was accounted to them for fame regardless of their financial status. It is a spiritual principle. No matter how wealthy or poor you are, if you are on Christ’s side, you are guaranteed fame. We should not believe the lie of the devil that one has to be physically poor and suffering to earn heaven. This should also give us assurance that no matter how bad or good our situation is we are guaranteed fame as friends of God. Our focus should be on cultivating a relationship with Christ and making Him first priority to gain fame not shunning Him as this will lead to shame. Unless we go back to Jesus, we will stay in captivity of shame, may this not be our portion in Jesus name.

Shame to Fame- Biblical Examples

One of the most popular questions being asked by society is geared towards how they can find their purpose and live a more fulfilled life. Looking at our biblical examples, it is obvious that the question to be asked is; have you encountered Jesus? What is the result of your encounter? It is the answer to these questions that will turn your shame to fame; you will become something because you have encountered Jesus, in the name of Jesus. In the next paragraphs, we will look at the lives of certain characters in the Bible that came across Jesus These characters were Simon of Cyrene, Simon Peter, Mary Magdalene and the Samaritan woman and how their encounter resulted in turning their situation around for the best in their lives.

1. Matthew 27:32 tells of Simon of Cyrene who bore the cross of Jesus Christ. He was unknown before and because of his act of love towards Jesus, his name came from obscurity to limelight. Today, the name Simon of Cyrene is written in the greatest best seller on earth and that is the Bible. Whenever the message of Easter is preached, this man will be acknowledged.

2. Another man is Simon Peter who made a living out of being a fisherman. Though he had a career and was very successful at it, Simon had no possibility of gaining fame for two reasons; one was that he was an uneducated person and thus in the lower rung of society at that time, while the other was that he had a serious character flaw being of an unstable temperament. By all accounts, he could never have gained fame, but he had an encounter with Jesus in Luke 5:10 and that turned his life around from obscurity to fame. Simon Peter had a paradigm shift, a change in dimension through Jesus’ direction to him to begin catching men. Simon Peter’s encounter with Jesus immediately shifted his focus from his career in fishing to soul winning and his fame came almost immediately. Today, the best known church in the world and one of the holiest sites of Christendom, the St. Peter Basilica in Rome is named after Simon Peter as well as numerous other edifices all over the world. His story tells of the importance of investing in the lives of men rather than pursuing material things, the act of giving of our materials and our selves brings fulfillment to us and those around us. Investment in the lives of men means investment in eternity, let us set our focus in investing in people rather than material things.

3. Another person whose life was permanently changed for good when she encountered Jesus was a woman. Let us note here that Christ did not discriminate against women in His life transforming ministry and was seen making disciples out of women as well as men. One of such women was Mary Magdalene, the famous ‘bad girl’ of the Bible. She certainly had made a name for herself; she is famously referred to by many as prostitute and even Luke 8:2-3 says she was delivered of seven demons. However, after the deliverance of Luke 8, her shame turned to fame; today she is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church and has a day set out for her in many denominational organizations in the world. She never went back to prostitution after encountering Jesus but stuck to His side and her destiny turned out for good.

4. The last Biblical personality is the Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus by the well (John 4). Her shame was that she was promiscuous, having lived with many men without having a husband. The man she was currently living with at the time she encountered Jesus was not also her husband. She was convicted in her encounter with Jesus and stayed long enough with Jesus to receive His blessings and have her shame turned to fame.

Requirements for becoming famous for good

From the stories of our biblical examples, we can draw a few characteristics they had, and we should adopt during our encounter with Jesus to turn our shame to fame:

· Luke 17:33- You don’t seek fame because in your quest to seek for fame, the bible says you will lose it. The way to be famous is going all out for Jesus. John 4: 29 speaks of the woman who was pointing people to Jesus, this is what our Biblical personalities did and how they gained their fame. Our life’s work is to point people to Jesus not ourselves.

· You should hold on to Jesus and stay with Him. The disciples dedicated their lives to Jesus and were diligent in their services to Him. John 20:8-12 once again tells of Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus. Even after Jesus’ death, she was dedicated to Him; worried that His body was stolen; she raised alarm and called the rest of the disciples. Her action showed to which extent she served the Lord, even at death, she was dedicated. Her example is a recipe for fame; it is people that hold on to the end that Jesus reveals himself to. Through your dark moments, sticking with Christ to the end reaps its benefits. If you want fame, you must stay with Jesus.

· You have to abandon your pride. With pride, you cannot receive help from Jesus. Mark 15:43-45 talks about Joseph of Arimathea, a noble and statesman who buried his pride out of allegiance to Jesus to ask King Herod for the body of a sentenced ‘criminal’ Jesus Christ

· Be ready to spend and be spent for Jesus. Luke 8:1-3 spoke about the disciples who used their resources to take care of Jesus. These disciples were following the right path to fame and got it.

· Be ready to abandon everything to follow Jesus. The disciple did so and it was counted towards them for fame. Peter for example, left his fishing implements to follow Jesus.

· Be ready to endure shame and pain. In the case of Simon the Cyrene, he endured shame and pain by taking up the cross of Jesus and carrying its weight along with the beatings meant for Christ and today, he got his own share of fame.

Conclusion

Many people want their situation to be changed to fame, but are they willing to pay the price? The requirements listed above are definitely not easy to fulfill. Following Jesus takes sincerity and tenacity. Some of us are so worldly-conscious that we do not care or believe His presence in our lives is of any consequence to us. Some of us do not actually care what happens to us after we have died, hence we feel it is not our business to stay close to Him now. Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15: 18 says “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” That means there is hope after this world. So, are you preparing for shame or fame? The answer lies with you.