LWC SERMON GUIDE
NOT ASHAMED!
Sunday 1 November 2026 ·
The Big Idea: Jesus, the Holy One who makes us holy, has brought us into His own family through His grace. Although He knows our weaknesses, failures and unfinished stories, He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters. Our past does not determine our identity. We belong to Him, He is transforming us, and He openly identifies with us as His own.
Scriptures to Read and Ponder
Hebrews 2:11 (NIV) — Main Scripture. Jesus makes us holy, brings us into His family and is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters.
1 John 1:9 — God's faithfulness to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Romans 1:16 — The gospel is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.
Sermon Recap
1. The Suitcase That Never Stopped Belonging
The sermon began with the story of a suitcase accidentally left behind at the port in Iceland after a family cruise.
Through an Apple AirTag, the suitcase could be tracked as it travelled around Northern Europe, crossed the Atlantic to Miami and eventually returned home to Gibraltar.
Its circumstances changed. Its location changed. It travelled thousands of miles.
But one thing never changed: it still belonged to its owner.
This introduced a deeply personal question: What determines whether we belong? Is it where we have been, what we have experienced, or what has happened to us?
The gospel invites us to discover an identity that is deeper than our circumstances or history.
The spiritual invitation: Stop allowing your journey, mistakes or experiences to have the final word about who you are. Discover what it means to belong to Jesus.
2. The One Who Makes People Holy — Jesus
Hebrews 2:11 begins by introducing us to the One who makes people holy.
His name is Jesus.
Christianity does not begin with what we can do for God. It begins with what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.
We can improve our behaviour, develop discipline and cultivate better habits. These things have value, but they cannot remove the guilt and power of sin.
We cannot make ourselves righteous before a holy God through our own efforts.
We need more than a teacher, moral example or set of principles. We need a Saviour.
The greasy dish illustration
Imagine trying to wash a greasy dish using only water. You can scrub harder and harder, but the grease remains.
Then you introduce soap.
Soap has properties that allow it to interact with both water and grease, loosening the grease so it can be washed away.
This illustrated the spiritual reality that we cannot cleanse ourselves from sin. We need someone to intervene and do what we cannot do for ourselves.
Jesus is that Saviour.
In 1 John 1:9, we are reminded that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us.
The spiritual invitation: Stop trying to earn the cleansing and acceptance that only Jesus can give. Come to Him in repentance, confession and faith.
3. The Ones Who Are Being Made Holy — Still Under Construction
The second group in Hebrews 2:11 consists of those who are being made holy.
That is us — the people Jesus has redeemed and continues to transform.
Christ has accomplished a work for us, and He continues to accomplish a work in us.
Belonging to Jesus does not mean that we have already achieved moral perfection.
Christians still struggle, stumble and fall short.
But our failures do not have the authority to define our identity in Christ.
The Elysium Bayside illustration
The sermon reflected on the former Bayside Comprehensive School site in Gibraltar, now being redeveloped as Elysium Bayside.
The site has a history, but that history no longer defines what is being built there.
It is a project under construction.
Likewise, we know something of our past, and we can see our present imperfections. But God is carrying out a transforming work in us.
We are not yet everything we will become.
And being unfinished does not mean we have been abandoned.
The spiritual invitation: Allow Jesus to continue His work in your life. Do not use grace as an excuse to remain unchanged, but do not mistake your unfinished condition for rejection.
Our calling is to become a people shaped by the holiness, love and presence of Jesus — not only on Sundays, but throughout the week.
4. Same Family — An Extraordinary Declaration
The sermon then arrived at the astonishing heart of Hebrews 2:11.
The One who makes people holy and those who are being made holy are of the same family.
Think about the contrast:
The One who is perfect and those still under construction — same family.
The One who has never sinned and those who still fall short — same family.
The Holy One and the people He is making holy — same family.
Jesus knows everything about us. Nothing is hidden from Him.
And yet, through His redeeming work, He brings us into a genuine family relationship with God.
This does not mean we become divine or equal to Jesus. He remains the eternal Son of God, our Lord and Saviour.
But by His grace, we really do belong to His family.
The spiritual invitation: Receive your identity as someone brought into God's family through Christ, and learn to treat fellow believers as brothers and sisters who are also being transformed.
5. Not Ashamed — Jesus Publicly Identifies With Us
The sermon reached its climax with the final declaration of Hebrews 2:11:
Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters.
He knows our weaknesses, faults, mistakes and failures.
Yet He does not simply tolerate us. He identifies with us.
Earlier in the service, Living Waters Church celebrated a special moment with the Gospel Riders ministry, as brother Paul received his full colours.
When someone receives and wears their colours, it represents a public identification with the brotherhood. It communicates recognition, acceptance and belonging.
The sermon drew a powerful connection:
We are His colours.
Not literally, but in the sense that Jesus openly identifies with His redeemed people.
People from different backgrounds, nations, generations and experiences are brought together as His family.
Jesus is not embarrassed to acknowledge those He has redeemed.
And the greatest wonder is not simply that we are proud to carry His name. It is that He is not ashamed to call us His own.
The final challenge: If Jesus is willing to acknowledge us, are we willing to acknowledge Him?
Our confidence in His acceptance should inspire us to live openly and courageously as His followers, never ashamed of the gospel.
Memorable Quotes & Aha Moments
"Your circumstances may change. Your location may change. But your identity does not have to change."
"The Christian faith does not begin with what we can do for God. It begins with what God has done for us through Jesus Christ."
"We cannot wash away our own sin. We cannot erase our own past. We cannot make ourselves holy."
"We do not just need a teacher. We fundamentally need a Saviour."
"There is a work that Christ has accomplished for us, and a work that He continues to accomplish in us."
"There is a difference between your history and your identity."
"Never let your history speak louder than the gospel."
"Unfinished does not mean abandoned."
"We cannot celebrate Jesus on a Sunday and ignore Jesus on a Monday."
"The One who is perfect and the ones still under construction — same family."
"Jesus does not simply tolerate us. He identifies with us."
"We are His colours."
"The greatest thing about belonging to Jesus isn't that I am proud to wear His name. It is that He is not ashamed to call me His own."
"Jesus is willing to acknowledge me. Am I willing to acknowledge Him?"
Questions for Discussion & Reflection
1. What determines belonging? Think about the suitcase illustration. Have you ever allowed your circumstances, experiences or past mistakes to determine how you see yourself?
2. What stands out to you most in Hebrews 2:11? Is it that Jesus makes us holy, that we belong to the same family, or that He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters? Why?
3. Why can't we make ourselves holy? What is the difference between improving our behaviour and receiving the cleansing that Jesus provides?
4. What does the greasy dish illustration teach us about grace? Are there areas of your life where you are still trying to achieve through human effort what only Jesus can accomplish?
5. How do you respond to the words "being made holy"? Do they bring encouragement, challenge, relief or perhaps discomfort?
6. What does it mean to be under construction? Where can you recognise God's ongoing work in your character, attitudes, relationships or priorities?
7. "Unfinished does not mean abandoned." Have you ever felt that God must be disappointed with you because of your struggles? How does this message challenge that feeling?
8. What is the difference between your history and your identity? Is there something from your past that you need to stop allowing to define you?
9. How should belonging to the same family change our relationships at church? How can we extend grace to people whose lives are still under construction, just like ours?
10. What does it mean to be shaped by Jesus from Sunday to Monday? Identify one area of everyday life where your faith needs to become more visible through your actions.
11. How does knowing that Jesus is not ashamed of you affect your relationship with Him? Does it change how freely you approach Him in prayer, worship and repentance?
12. What did the Gospel Riders presentation illustrate about public belonging? How might the knowledge that Jesus identifies with us give us courage to identify with Him?
13. Are there situations where you hesitate to acknowledge your faith? What fears or pressures might be holding you back?
14. What would change this week if you truly lived as someone Jesus is not ashamed to call His own? Consider your confidence, relationships, choices and spiritual habits.
15. Who needs to hear this message? Is there someone carrying shame, rejection or a sense of spiritual failure whom you could encourage with the truth of Hebrews 2:11?
Further Reading & Deep Exploration
Bible passages for the week
Hebrews 2:10–18 — Explore the wider context of Jesus identifying with humanity and bringing many sons and daughters to glory.
Ephesians 2:8–10 — Salvation by grace through faith, followed by a life of good works prepared by God.
Romans 8:14–17 — Our adoption into God's family and our identity as His children and heirs.
Philippians 1:6 — God's faithfulness to complete the good work He has begun in us.
2 Corinthians 5:17 — Our new identity in Christ.
Romans 1:16 — Living without shame or embarrassment about the gospel.
Recommended books
The Ragamuffin Gospel — Brennan Manning. A moving exploration of God's grace towards imperfect people.
Gentle and Lowly — Dane Ortlund. Understanding the heart of Jesus towards sinners and those who struggle.
The Good and Beautiful God — James Bryan Smith. Learning to know God more deeply and allowing His character to transform our lives.
Prayer Points
- Thanksgiving for grace: Lord Jesus, thank You that my salvation does not rest on my achievements, but on what You have accomplished for me.
- Cleansing and forgiveness: Father, reveal anything in my heart that needs to be confessed and surrendered. Thank You that You are faithful to forgive and cleanse me.
- Freedom from shame: Holy Spirit, help me release the guilt, regrets and labels from my past that have distorted my understanding of who I am in Christ.
- Confidence in belonging: Jesus, help me truly believe that through Your grace I belong to Your family and that You are not ashamed to call me Your own.
- Ongoing transformation: Lord, continue the work You have begun in me. Shape my thoughts, habits, desires and relationships to reflect Your holiness and love.
- Patience in the process: Father, when I become discouraged by my weaknesses or lack of progress, remind me that unfinished does not mean abandoned.
- Love for the church family: Holy Spirit, teach us to recognise one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Make Living Waters a place where grace, holiness, acceptance and transformation flourish together.
- Faith beyond Sunday: Lord, let my relationship with You shape the way I live throughout the week — in my home, workplace, conversations and decisions.
- Courage to acknowledge Jesus: Give me boldness to identify openly with You, without fear or embarrassment, and to share the hope of the gospel with others.
- A deeper revelation of Jesus: Above everything else, draw me closer to You. Let my confidence rest not in how strongly I hold on to You, but in the grace by which You have made me Your own.
A Final Thought for the Week
You may still be under construction. There may be parts of your life that need healing, surrender and transformation. Your story may include failures, disappointments and things you wish you could change.
But your history is not the final word about your identity.
Jesus is the One who makes you holy. He is still at work in you. And through His redeeming grace, He has brought you into His family.
He knows your story. He knows your weaknesses. He knows your name. And He is not ashamed to call you His own.
Live this week in the confidence of that extraordinary truth.
Living Waters Church · Gibraltar