WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU TRY TO COVER UP
A COVER UP
(PSALM 51)
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to the sight, O Lord my strength and my redeemer.
Today we’re going to look at a story about a man of God who "messed up" in a big major way. He committed sins that you simply wouldn’t expect a good Christian man would do. And it wasn’t one of those things where he did it without knowledge of what he was doing, but instead he accidentally on purpose committed what he thought was to be a secret sin. Yes, I’m afraid he put a great deal of thought and effort into this, and then went to even greater trouble to cover it up. In fact, the events in his life read more like a movie script than a Bible story.
Simply because, when the smoke finally cleared, two folk were dead and two families destroyed. However, the most amazing fact about this, is that didn’t ruin the man, for he was able to recover, repent, re-atone and be restored from the cover-up that he tried to cover-up and get back on his feet.
You might have already guessed the man I’m talking about for he is no other than, King David. Yes, the same one, who killed Goliath, and later wrote the most recognizable book in the Bible, which is Psalm.
Now relax a minute, while I give you the story…which is found in 2 Samuel 11-13 chapters. See, one evening, King David had a hard time getting to sleep, so he went out on the back porch of his palace to get some air. Off in the distance he saw Sister Old Self, a woman named Bethsheba, as she was taking a bath…must have been a real hot night, and the Bible states that she was very beautiful in appearance.” Now, if he had any sense, he would have turn and gotten off of that rooftop, asap. But that would have been too easy, so he lingered, and let his eyes feast on every inch of Bathsheba’s wet body, so much until he could think of nothing but having her for himself.
But wait, Sis. Old Self is not guiltless either. For, even though, she may not have purposely enticed David, she was careless, tactless and exposed. I mean, to disrobe and bathe in an open courtyard in full view of any number of rooftop in the neighborhood was asking for trouble. She could easily have bathed indoors. And, even in our day, there some women don’t seem to realize what the sight of their flesh can do to a man. Now, you do have those who do, and just don’t care. For, they allow themselves to be fancied into the fashion mold of the world of wearing revealing clothes, or nearly nothing at all; then they wonder why the men they meet cannot think of anything but sex.
With that in mind, we need to instruct our younger girls in these matters, particularly as they enter their teen years. And especially, teach our daughters some facts about the nature of man and the meaning of modesty, then set standards on how God wants them to dress.
But, back to David, for when he found out the cat was away he was ready to play. Meaning that her husband, Uriah, was a soldier and away at war, so David sent for her and seduced her. After all he was the King, Right? No Wrong! For, sometime later, she told him that he was going to be a baby-daddy. And, in an attempt to cover his tracks, David had Uriah brought in from the battlefield…for a time of "R&R". Here, King David suggested that Uriah go home and spend time with his wife. But, Uriah…being a good soldier, politely refused; for going home to his wife during a time of war would have been an act of disloyalty to his fellow soldiers.
So since Uriah couldn’t be persuaded to compromise, David sent him back to battle with a letter to deliver to the commanding officer. Now, what Uriah didn’t know, was that he was delivering his own death warrant. For, the letter told the CO to put Uriah on the front lines and withdraw the other troops so Uriah would be sure to die. This is exactly what happened. Uriah was killed in battle and David, the King, the man after God’s heart married Bethsheba.
Now, since he had covered up the cover up, no one in Israel knew the story behind the story, but the Bible says, in 2 Samuel 11:27 that…The Lord was very displeased with what David had done. Well, it wasn’t long before a prophet named Nathan confronted David with his sin. And, David knew that he had done wrong, and I’m sure that deep down he knew he couldn’t get away with it. To make matters worse, David and Bethsheba’s newborn child was very sick, and Nathan said it was all David’s fault. He said to David, "Because of what you have done, this baby is going to die." Imagine how David felt about that! He couldn’t hide it any longer. He had blown it in a big way, and now it was time to face the music.
He knew he had to make things right with God and get his life back on track. At some point during this time, he wrote Psalm 51. And, this Psalm is all about "What To Do When You Try A Cover Up For The Cover Up!
And, we too can learn from David’s example how to make things right whenever we make a little or big mistake. Cause, when that happens, we often make the mistake of thinking that God hates us because of what we’ve done. The truth is, He loves us no matter what. So, when we sin, even when we sin big, He wants to forgive us and help us get back on our feet.
Thus, today, we’re going to talk about, "What To Do When You Try to Cover Up a Cover Up!" and how to get back on the right track with God, with others, and with yourself.
First, getting back on track requires A CHANGE OF HEART.
So, in the first two verses of Psalm 51, David begs for forgiveness, and says in (v. 3-4) For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.
See, David was guilty and he knew it. He couldn’t deny his wrongdoing any longer. He could only confess to God and ask forgiveness.
ILLUSTRATION:
Not to long ago basketball star Dennis Rodman made the headlines when he kicked a cameraman during a basketball game. Luckily for Rodman, he escaped criminal charges and got by with just an 11 game suspension and a $200,000 payout to his victim. A few days after the incident Rodman discussed the event in an interview, and his attitude reflected anything but a change of heart. In fact, he insisted that what he had done wasn’t all that bad. He said that he himself was the victim in this whole ordeal, since he was being forced to pay money only because he’s rich. After all, he said, he just gave the guy a little tap. He must have forgotten that everyone saw the footage of the assault. The bottom line was, even after the payout and the suspension, Dennis Rodman didn’t believe he had done anything wrong.
Well, we too have often felt that way about our own sin. We try to justify it and pretend that it’s not that bad. We try to explain why it isn’t really sin. But, as long as we keep this defiant attitude we can never get completely right with God. Therefore, getting right with God requires a change of heart.
ILLUSTRATION:
Jim Bakker’s book is titled "I Was Wrong." In the book, he admits not only to moral failure, but also acknowledges that he led many people astray by teaching theological error. He describes himself during that time of his life as ambitious and self-serving, and considered himself above consequences. When he wound up in prison—alone, broke and abandoned, he experienced a change of heart. He reached a point where he was truly sorry for his sins. And, when we stop protecting our sins, and confess them, we not only regain a better relationship with God but we also feel better about ourselves.
Moreover, as you can see, due to his unconfessed sins, David was miserable. And, it sounds as though he was depressed and guilt ridden. But that’s what happen, "When You Try to Cover Up a Cover Up!" But listen, a dramatic thing happened in (v5), for David cries, "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.” Or as the Message Bible reads, “I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down.” See, once David admitted to God that he was wrong, and that he had sinned, he experienced inward healing. And his guilt was taken away…for he received forgiveness!
Likewise, we can experience inward healing, and feel better about ourselves if we would just stop hiding behind prideful hearts and openly confess our sins to God. So, if you want to get your lives back on track, then you must first change your hearts and confess your sins to God. Because believe me, you cannot Cover Up your sin with a Cover Up!
So the next thing to getting back on track will require a change of mind.
For, have you ever noticed that we gladly take credit for our accomplishments, but we often blame our failures on extenuating circumstances? For example, how many times have you heard someone say something like, "I’m sorry I lost my temper. It’s because I’m so tired…or I’m under pressure…or you were getting on my nerves.”
Well, our natural tendency is to blame someone or something else whenever we fail. For, it’s not always easy to accept responsibility for our failures, but we do have to if we want to get our lives back on track. We have to stop blaming others and accept responsibility for our actions.
See, the main principle I’m trying to make here is that we have to change our mind about who is in control of our lives. We can’t blame our sin on anyone else, and we can’t blame our sin on the Devil. For, we are responsible for our own lives.
Therefore, it does no good to say, "I am a victim of my environment, or a victim of my circumstances, or a victim of genealogy, or a victim of bad luck."
David could have said, "It was Bethsheba’s fault—look what she was wearing at the time." Or he could have blamed God, his other wives (yes, wives—for he had hundreds of them) for not being sensitive to his needs. But he realized that, it was now time to take responsibility for his actions and take back control of his life. That’s why he said… In (vs. 4) of Psalm 51, "Against you, you only have I sinned…" So once again, David was saying, "I am responsible for my actions. I can’t blame anyone but myself." Thus, getting back on track requires a change of heart, and a change of mind.
Now third, and last, to getting back on track, requires us to have a change of direction.
For, David’s life got off track because he started doing things his way and going in his own direction. Then suddenly, he recognized that things had skidded out of control, and that he needed to make things right. He also realized that he couldn’t do it without God’s help. Listen to his words in v. 7-12… Cleanse me…wash me…blot out all my iniquity…create in me a clean heart…renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Meaning, that we can mess things up on our own without anyone’s help, but it takes an act of God to get us back on track. Therefore, we must depend on Him to cleanse us, and wash us, and forgive us. Too often we are guilty of trying to clean ourselves up and make ourselves "good" so that we will be pleasing to God—and that is simply not acceptable to Him! For, there is only one way we can come to God—and that’s "Just As we Are." And, when we come to Him this way, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9). For, if David can do this, then so can every other true Christian. It is only those who fake their faith that are, or should be, in fear of losing the salvation that is offered to them and which they only know about but have never really received to become a new creature in Christ. I’m talking about those who try to cover up everything with a cover up!
That’s why getting back on track requires a change of direction—where we can stop going our way and start going God’s way. And you may ask, “what is God’s way"? Well, it means that we must…spend time alone with God on a consistent basis. For David said, "Do not cast me from your presence" because he recognized that spending time in the presence of the Lord, is what gives our lives direction…and what brings about restoration to folk who are seeking forgiveness with God.
And, with a change of heart, mind, and direction, we now have Repentance. Because, when we mess up, we need to repent. Some folk think that repentance is feeling guilty, but feeling guilty isn’t enough. And, from what I’ve learned, there’s much more to repentance than just feeling bad. Only because, it’s natural to feel guilty, when we know we’ve messed up. But if you feel guilty too long, you haven’t really repented, because, repentance removes guilt. In addition, when David asked for God’s forgiveness he also asked God to restore the joy of salvation. Therefore, repentance results in joy. So, if you’ve trying to cover up a cover up, you need to get past feeling guilty and get back on track. Ask God to help you change your heart, and change your mind, and change your direction.
My brothers & sisters, God sent me to tell you that if you are trying to cover up your messes in life with one lie after another," this morning…you can make things right with God and your self. That is by repenting, and being baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, then you can walk out of this place today a new, regenerated, revived, refreshed, and reinvigorated, man or woman of God. For, do you notice, that by the end of this Psalm, David had got his shout back on! Oh, he is able to worship and praise the Lord again. Why? Because he solved his sin problem the right way. He told the truth about his sin and laid it down before the Lord. He got it out into the open and God forgave him!
In conclusion, if you are alive this morning, I know that God has revealed some things that you need to get order in your life. And, isn’t it time you came to the place where you just get honest with the Lord?
Isn’t it time you just come before Him and tell Him everything?
Isn’t it time you came and experienced His forgiveness and restoration?
Isn’t it time you got back to the place where the Lord, His church, His Word, and His worship meant something to you? And, isn’t it time to stop covering up your cover ups.
For, there are some here this morning that have never been saved. And you need to come before the Lord…right here and right now. Come now, and confess that you are a sinner and acknowledge your need for salvation through Jesus Christ.
Wherever this message has found you living this morning, I know there was a word for you. Will you honor the call of God in your heart and come before Him right now and get those things settled? If you need forgiveness, it is available right now. Will you get honest about your sins? Will you solve the sin problem now? For God still loves you in spite of who you are, what you have done, and who you done it with!
As we stand and sing our invitation hymn, come to Jesus and receive your forgiveness, come knowing that it’s only because of Him that you been set free. Won’t you come?
