Shame Off You | Christine Caine | City Light Church

Jabin, I'm just so honoured you have me. Honestly, we love you and Shannon, you guys and this church, it's truly amazing. So get ready. We love the Bible in this house, so I'm going to read you, maybe some of you, you're about to hear more scripture than you know you've read all year. I'm going to catch you up on your Bible reading plan for the year, don't, you'll be fine. So Genesis 2, 25, this is the word of the Lord, it says, "Both the man and his wife were naked." Now some of you, if this is your first time in church, you're like, "I didn't know that was in the Bible." There it is, right there, so you're in the right place. Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame. Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say you can't eat from any tree in the garden?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden, but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said you must not eat it or touch it or you will die." No, you will not die, that is so the enemy, nothing changes. Do the opposite of what God said to do and you won't die, that's fine. Now sleep with who you want, you won't die, go wherever you want, you won't die, eat whatever you want, you won't die, no, no, you won't die if you do the opposite of what God says. The serpent said to the woman, "In fact, God knows that when you eat it, your eyes will be open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it, she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it. Then the eyes were both of them were open and they knew they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time

of the evening breeze and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden, so the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard you in the garden, I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid." Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" The man replied, "The woman, the woman you, not just blame her, let's blame God as well." The woman you gave to be with me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it. The Lord God asked the woman, "What is this you have done?" and the woman said, "The serpent deceived me." And I ate it. Listen, blame culture did not start in 2026. Blame culture started right there in the outset, in the garden of Eden. There's nothing you under the sun. We are just recycling through where we have always lived. There's nothing you. It wasn't my fault. I am like I am because of my heritage. I am like I am because of where I was born. I am because of what I am because some teacher, 35 years ago, said that I was dumb or stupid. I am what I -- we've always had addiction in our family. We've always had -- no, no, it's not my fault. We have built an idol in 2026 to blameology. The fact is it's everybody else's fault. It's not me. It's somebody else. It's so interesting to me, the very last verse of Scripture, right before we step into the fall. So we see the world. Why did we just receive an offering for A21? Why are you going to give in a miracle offering in the next month to help not only reach everyone

in this city, but the nations of the earth and the poor and the marginalized? Why are we even doing that? Why are we bothering to do that? Because we live in an unjust world. We live in a world that's full of pain and we live in a world that's suffering, that's full of wars, that's full of crime, that's full of injustice. We see it all the time. The fact is the world is broken and a lot of people go, "How do we ever get here?" Well, this is how we got here. We're going right to the beginning. This is how we got here. But just before we got there, there's one thing God wanted us to know. He says Adam and Eve were naked and out of the plethora of human emotions, out of the whole gamut of emotions and feelings that we have. There's only one thing mentioned in Scripture that God wanted to make sure that we knew that we were never designed to carry. He says Adam and Eve were naked and they knew shame. You and I were not ever designed to carry the weight of shame. It's the one thing before the fall that we were told we didn't know even what it was. We didn't have the capacity, the fabric to be able to carry the weight of it. So if I was the enemy and I wanted to take out the only thing created in the image of God, then I would want to put on them. The one thing that they were never designed to carry, to cripple and paralyze them and enable them to never fulfill their God-given destiny and that's where shame comes in. I wonder what it would be like to feel no shame because I personally have no idea. I don't have a conscious memory of knowing no shame I was born in Sydney, Australia, daughter of Greek immigrants and you know I was very marginalised at school because my I, you know, ate different foods. I mean, now it's cool to have a Mediterranean diet and to eat feta cheese, but it was not cool

when the kids were eating Vegemite sandwiches and I was eating garlic and feta cheese. It was not really go. 1972 Limwood Park Public School, not a way to win friends and influence people. So it was very marginalised because of that. And then I, you know, grew up in a home. My parents were good people, but my parents let people come into our home who they should have been able to trust, but were very, very untrustworthy. And so I was the victim of childhood sexual abuse for more than a dozen years of my life. I don't have a recollection, not even before going to kindergarten, of not knowing what abuse is. So shame was the cloak I wore. You know, shaming guilt are two different things. Guilty is when you, you do something wrong. You're like, I did something wrong, I feel guilty. Now this generation could do it with a bit more guilt, but anyway, so we have like, I did something wrong, but shame is I am wrong. There's something fundamentally wrong with me. And I can tell you, for all of my formative years, I walked around with this thought there is something wrong with me. Now when you think that about yourself, you learn to just create patterns of destructive behaviour to somehow make yourself feel like you're valid,

to feel seen, to feel known, to feel loved. So you end up either trying to numb the pain or do a whole lot of stuff, and I was in a spiral, going down very quickly because of that. And also, two weeks before my 33rd birthday, I got a phone call from my brother, George, he was 35. I was about to turn 33. My younger brother, Andrew, was 30 at the time. And George said to me, "Christina, "I just got a letter from the Department of Community Services, "and this letter says that I've been adopted." Now when he first said that, I started laughing, Church, because you know when you're growing up, you always tell your siblings that we're not related, like you're like adopters, okay, so I did that. And so then I said, "George, don't be ridiculous. "Call them, they've sent this to the wrong person." So he calls me back, about 10, maybe 15 minutes later, he's crying, he goes, "But it still knows it's true." They told me the name of my biological mother, my biological father, when I was born, when I was immunized, they have a whole file on my life. I'm thinking, this is, he goes, "I'm gonna go and confront Mum. "This has been a family secret." And I don't know if you know much about Greeks, but we are very crazy. So I'm thinking that my brother, I don't know what he's gonna go home and do, but he could do anything, like this is not even exaggerating.

I jump in my car because my dad had died when I was 19. So my mum was home alone. I get in my car and I walk into my living room at the moment that my brother's giving my mother this piece of paper from the government. And I saw my mum take the paper, it was like the blood drained out of her face. And she said, "George, I'm so sorry." All of the adoption laws in Australia 35 years ago, they were all closed adoptions. And we never thought that you would find out. And so I, you know, I promised your dad, just before he died, the last thing I promised him was that I would never ever show you this. And I taught up all of the documents. So, George, it was like a moment. I mean, my mum's balling, my brother's balling. I don't know what to do. And so for a Greek, because food is the answer to life, the universe and everything, I think, go to the kitchen, make some buckle up, I'll do something, you know? So I go to the kitchen and then about maybe half, I don't know, whatever, up to half an hour later, my mother walks in and my back is to her because I'm cooking at the stove. And in Greek, she says to me, "Is dinner since we're telling the truth today? "Do you want to know the whole truth?" And I'm not even sure why I did that,

but I turned around, I went to a, "I've been adopted too." And she's just sobbing and nodding her head, yes. And so, you got to know, Church, it is, there's very little in life that's as discombobulating as to find out you are not who you thought you were. And I remember in that moment, you know, the very first thing, I didn't say anything for a few minutes and I went, "Am I still Greek?" I thought, you know, I needed to know. I was called so many names at school, I wanted to know there was a reason for all of that. But then the next thing that came out of my mouth, right there in my mother's kitchen, because 10 years before that, I had come to faith in Christ in a service just like this in a local church, in a warehouse in the back of Sydney. So thank God that He had saved me because I don't know what I would have been like if I found that out when I was a teenager. And He had saved me, and not only saved me, but I joined a small group. This is why it's so important to be planted in church and to be part of it. And in that small group, I had a small group leader, she used to make me memorize things that I did not even believe at first. She would say, "Christine, I'm back in my old school, "I'm old enough that I roam the earth with the dinosaurs." and we would have to put our scriptures on it.

And she'd say, I want you to write it down and put it in your car and put it on the mirror. And I want you to say things. And she, you know, like, write down, I am the righteousness of Christ of God in Christ Jesus. And I want you to write down, I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. I want you to write down, therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. And I've got to tell you, I used to say to her, but I don't believe it. Because when you have a background like mine, let me just say, you do not feel like you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You don't feel like you're fearfully and wonderfully made when the word abuse means to use an object for a purpose for which it was never designed. And for many years, I was used for a purpose for which I was never designed. You don't feel fearfully and wonderfully made. But I remember, and I would say it, even though I didn't believe it, because I was so scared of my Bible study leader, because she was like my small group leader. She was like me. And she would like test me every week to say, did you do it? And I was so, and back, I mean, it's not like you guys that have like, you know, a little Instagram real or a TikTok 32nd thing. I mean, we had to like memorize the whole book of Philippians. Like, you know, it was like, it was, and God is merciful, but my Bible study leader was not merciful.

And so I was so scared that I would just do it. And I didn't want to say no at the end of the week. So I would just look, but I could tell you about six months in. I remember something changed. I just remember that as I read and said out loud, looking in the mirror, I am. It was like suddenly my head just lifted a little bit. My shoulders went back and I went, I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I am beefully and wonderfully made. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. Greater is he that is in me, that he that is in the world. I can do all things through Christ Jesus. And I'm telling you, when I went from here to here, (congregation clapping) Now, we're in 2026, so we now have the science. We call it neuroplasticity, don't you? You see all the rewiring your brain. Well, I didn't realize because we were old school, we didn't know any of that. We just had Romans 12. That says, do not be conformed to this world, but you know how you're gonna be transformed, not by listening to the latest influencer, but by renewing your mind. That you may prove what? What is the good, the acceptable and the perfect will of God? That means someone that was left in a hospital, unnamed and unwanted, somebody that was sexually abused

for years, someone that grew up in the poorest zip code in my state, in government housing, that person could still fulfill the purpose of God. That person could still prove the good, the acceptable and the perfect will of God. That person, yes, not because that person is anything, but because Jesus Christ shed his blood at Calvary. And I need to tell you, I'm still old school enough to believe the most potent force on the planet. It's not some crucifixile, it's not some nuclear bomb, it is the blood of Jesus Christ, it sets people free. I still believe that Jesus' blood sets people free. So, why am I telling you that? Because when the enemy came into the garden, the plan hasn't changed. Even with our 60-second TikTok reels, where someone's sitting in their grandmother's basement in their underwear that has no victory over anything, is trying to tell you how to think. (audience laughing) The very first thing that happens is, we're told Adam and Eve were naked and they knew no shame. The enemy comes next verse into the garden. And then asks the one question that hasn't changed for all of these years. And it's the question that's on the table for every generation, it's the question that's on the table for our generation. And it's the first question in the Bible. God doesn't ask the first question in the Bible.

The devil does. The first question in the Bible is the question that the enemy asks and it's on the table for all of us. Did God really say? And let me just say on the edge of every revival throughout human history, the one thing that comes under attack more than anything else is the authority of the Word of God. And we're living in this moment on the earth right now. Did God really say that? Did God really say that? Did God really? And we like to just like cut and paste, pull some stuff out. We've got better things and let's listen to this real or let's listen to this person or let's listen. The issue is if you do not know what God really said, you will believe what the enemy said. You'll believe what the abuser said. You'll believe what their friends say. You'll believe there is nothing more important on this earth. [BLANK_AUDIO] Did God really say, "So why?" "In a moment that should have unraveled me "and caused me to go into a fetal position, "the trauma, the brokenness, and then finding out "that I wasn't who I thought I was." Why didn't that happen because I knew what God said? I knew what God said about me, and in that moment when everything that could be shaken was shaken, what remained?

Is the word of God because the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord, is eternal. It's forever. There is nothing that stands forever like the word of God, nothing. And we're trying to get all of our wisdom and our understanding and our knowledge from a 32nd reel that's here today gone tomorrow. When God has given us His very word. Did God really say, "Did God really say you're too far gone?" Did God really say you're hopeless? Did God really say you're useless? Did God really say you'll never amount to anything? Did God really say you can't? Did God really say? Because if you don't know, you are going to be living a life so far beneath the fullness of what God has for you. Because you're going to believe the lies of the enemy or your friends, or yourself, rather than the truth of what God said. So the first question that comes in, did God really say? Now, here's the problem. Some of you have grown up in church and you know what God said. Eve said God did say she'd done all her Bible study, she'd fill in all the blanks, she'd listen to all the said, "God did say." So you can know what God said, but that in and of itself is not enough.

You could actually do what God says. And so a lot of us, we know it, but we don't do it. And then we're wondering why we're not walking in victory. She said, "God did say you can eat of everything except that." Or you're going to die. That's what God said. And that's what a lot of us do. We play games with God. Yeah, I know God said that, but he really doesn't mind. I mean, we're all under grace. I mean, we're all under grace and we can just do what we want. And so we've confused the love of God, which will never change with fulfilling our purpose, which is really dependent on our obedience. And so we're wondering why so many are not fulfilling their God-given purpose and we're blaming everything else. It's not my fault. It's the economy, it's not my fault. It's the way the world is, not my fault. And we're blaming and the law's like, no, actually your disobedience is what's keeping you out of your purpose. Not out of my love because nothing can separate you from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus. But we are mixing that up with fulfilling our purpose. So Eve knew what God said, but she didn't do what God said. And so I had to, it wasn't enough that I just knew what God said about me or the promise of God for my future.

I actually had to walk in obedience with that. Now, if I was living in 2026, I would have bought into the narrative of our culture, which basically says I could spend my whole life on this earth blaming what happened to me for not fulfilling my purpose. And I would get applauded for that. Poor Christine, you don't know the trauma that she went, and I'm not in any way minimizing, dismissing, denying or diminishing the impact of trauma on your life. I'm just saying that trauma doesn't get the final word. The blood of Jesus is what gets the final word. It's the blood of Jesus that gets the final word. And we need a church on the earth that actually believes that there's nothing that he can't redeem, that you can fulfill your purpose no matter what happened to you because we're buying into the lie. That we can't. And so people are too afraid to preach. You can overcome through Christ Jesus because well, what about the 100 cases where they didn't? Well, you can. 'Cause I'm standing here before you saying, you can. I am living proof. You can. So then the second question of the Bible comes in and it's so sad to be Jesus. Oh, God walks into the garden.

They heard him walking into the garden and because they knew they were ashamed, they were hiding from God. Imagine what that would be like because that's what shame does. And that's the whole plan of the enemy. You have to know that. That's why he comes in with shame because he's trying to separate you from God 'cause shame makes you run from God instead of to God. And so now for the first time, since they were created, they're hiding from the presence of God. That's where so many Christians live today. Hiding won't come into church or come. I'm not picking on the back row, I'm just saying. Sitting back there, maybe God won't really see me. And so the fact is that we're hiding. But the interesting thing is the Lord asks a question and I just think he asks that question to us every day. And he says, "Where are you?" and seek with kids? And they think because they can't see you, you can't see them and you're standing right in front of them. It's not like the Lord's like, "I don't know where you are." But he's asking them, "Locate yourself." And I think hopefully this is a faithful church every week you come into the presence of God. He's going, "Where did you go? Where is the you that I created? Where is the you that I created full of God given destiny, full of what caused you to go into hiding? What caused you to run from my presence? What caused you to be minimized? What caused you to be shrunk? Where did you go?" And I'm asking you, "Where did you go? Who is it?" Some teachers said, "You're dumb, you're stupid, you're too much." Some ex-lover, some ex-spouse said, "You went

into hiding? You went into hiding?" And it's like, "Where are you?" And we got a whole generation out there on socials, putting it all out there, but really they're hiding in plain sight. It's so sad. It's like, "Where'd you go? Why are you exposing so much? That's not being vulnerable, transparent. You're actually hiding, longing to be seen, longing to be seen. Where are you? Where are you this morning?" And then to me, the saddest question in the Bible, of course it's not in the text, but in my mind's eye I can see the Lord in the garden with a tear in his eye, looking when Adam said, "I was naked and afraid and so I hid." The first recorded conversation in Scripture between God and humanity is not much different to how we are with God today. Fear, shame, hiding. I was naked, I was afraid and so I hid. So much of our dialogue with God is based in that. And imagine the Lord looking at them going, "Who told you? Who told you you were naked? Who told you you were dumb? Who told you you were stupid? Who told you you were ugly? Who told you God could never use you? Who told you? Who told you? Whose voice did you elevate above the voice of God? Who told you? Who told you? Because we're living in a time where we are elevating so many other voices above the voice of God. And then wondering why we're not fulfilling our God-given purpose. The enemy will make sure and he screams loud that you feel every day, that you are not enough, that you can't do it, that it is impossible. He will make sure the noise of the stock markets there, the noise of the news is there, the noise of your absent parent is there, the noise, he'll make sure. But you have to know what God says and you have to walk in what God has said to fulfill your purpose. You know, about a year after I found out I was adopted, they sent me my documents. And it's so weird getting a birth certificate when you've had one or your life. I'll just show you very quickly. I got my birth certificate and you'll see it here. It says that I was unnamed. So if you bring it up closer, it says my other name. Imagine on your birth certificate is written the word unnamed. Of course, the tape recorder starts, the enemy's secrecy. Your mother didn't even want you, she didn't even give you a name. You're just a number, no wonder you're abused. That's how sometimes we can think with 50 million slaves, they're just numbers, numbers are numbing, numbers are dehumanising, numbers are desensitising. It is so easy to ignore suffering when its name was some faceless. If I just said 2508 of 1966, it would just go over your head, but the minute you say Christine Kane, it changes everything. There's

just one degree of separation between me and the people were rescuing. If I wasn't born in Australia where there was a rule of law and an adoption system, I could be one of the kids we're rescuing today. That's what you've given to, just a number. And then I got a document from the Royal Hospital for Women where I was born, and it's got a whole excerpt, but one part says about my biological mother, she does not seem to be too emotionally involved with the child, she seems to want to get it all over and done with and get back to work as soon as possible. So the experts, and I'm not minimising, thank God for the education department, thank God for the medical profession, thank God for all of these different entities. But when you define yourself and you limit your potential by what they say about you, then you'll never fulfil your purpose. People are like, "Well, Christine, you're just like a happy, happy, charismatic, you just like live in La La Land." What about the facts? I'm not denying it. Look, I was unwanted. I've got another document from the University of New South Wales that essentially says that I'm unqualified. 28th of March 1993, well, you know today we run probably the largest anti-trafficking organisation in the world, but the experts in 1993 said, "I was unqualified." So you see these three documents together, and you see all three, and most of us, we limit. Well, Christine, you don't know. Look what, look what the government said on look what the medical profession, look at the report that I have on look what the education department said, and their black and white income paper. I'm not denying that. I'm not living in some place that's not reality. It is fucks! The facts are, I was abused. The facts are, I was unnamed. The facts are, I was unwanted. The facts are, I was, and probably still am unqualified. But I'm not building my life because that's not what God said. I found another black and white ink on paper and it's called the Truth of the World of God. (audience applauding) And let me just tell you, that document says

that I am unnamed, but I stye 49 verse ones is from the womb of your mother. I have named your name. That document says that I am unwanted. But my Bible says before you ever got in that womb, I wanted you. That document says that I am unqualified. But my Bible says that he whom he calls, he qualifies. If you abide in my word, then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free in Jesus' name. Come on, if you believe that. I want you to give the Lord a mighty ovation.