Purpose: To explain the folly and danger of trying to hide our sin.
Aim: I want the listener to repent of and forsake sin of every kind.
INTRODUCTION: One of Satan's biggest lies is that there are some sins that God does not either care about or know about.
"In the Scottish highlands is an old bridge that spans a wild waterfall. Its structure is so massive, and it rises so high above the gorge that it is known as "The High Bridge." But something happened that made it necessary for officials to condemn it. A tiny birch seed, caught by a gust of wind, dropped into a small crevice above the keystone. It lodged unnoticed in the lime, and before long it germinated. Soon it was a young sapling, but still nobody saw it. As it grew into a tree, its roots went deep into the mortar. Eventually it began to loosen and crack the masonry so that the arch was severely damaged. The bridge that had defied violent storms and supported the weight of marching armies finally had to be closed to traffic. It had succumbed to a small seed.
"So too in the Christian life, one little hidden sin can weaken the foundation of a person's character and be the cause of his downfall. I think David must have sensed this when he cried out, 'Cleanse Thou me from secret faults.'" [1]
I. In What Ways Can Sin be Secret?
A. Our sins may be hidden from us
Before Paul became a follower of Christ he said he that "even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Timothy 1:13, NAS).
It is very possible to sin and against God and not know that it is a sin. God has given us a written revelation that tells us what we need to know about sin. Ignorance is never an excuse to a Christian.
B. Our sins may be hidden from others
"The sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against the LORD their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. " (2 Kings 17:9, NAS)
Solomon warned us that sexual sins are usually done in secret. "Passing through the street near her corner; and he takes the way to her house, in the twilight, in the evening, in the middle of the night and in the darkness" (Proverbs 7:8--9, NAS)
Our sins are like the print in a book. It doesn't matter if the book is open or shut--the words are still there.
C. Our sins may only be internal
We are very prone to think in our hearts what we would never consider doing with our hands or saying out loud. "For as he thinks within himself, so he is" (Proverbs 23:7, NAS). It is possible, at least for a time, to keep our sin contained to our minds.
II. Why are Secret Sins so Dangerous?
"Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD, and whose deeds are done in a dark place, and they say, 'Who sees us?' or 'Who knows us?' " (Isaiah 29:15, NAS)
Let's look at six reasons why secret sins are so dangerous.
A. All sin is hated by God
We tend to think that murder is more of a sin than wanting someone dead.
This is why Jesus said, "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering" (Matthew 5:22--24, NAS).
Charles Spurgeon said "A sin is a sin, whether done in private or before the wide world...Do not measure sin by what other people say of it. Measure sin by what God says of it..."
B. God especially hates hypocrisy
It would be better for a person to say they want to follow Satan do what pleases him, than to say they want to follow God and then do what pleases Satan. It must be particularly repulsive to God when someone claims to love God publicly, but then disrespects Him to His face in private. "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed" (Titus 1:16, NAS)
Hypocrisy stirs up the anger of God. "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation" (Luke 20:46--47, NAS).
Hypocrites are repulsive to God: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matthew 23:27--28, NAS).
The worst kind of hypocrisy is hypocrisy in worship: "Then the Lord said, 'Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed' " (Isaiah 29:13--14, NAS).
C. No sin will remain a secret forever
For years there was a popular hidden camera TV show called "Candid Camera." At the end of every show the host would say, "Don't be surprised if sometime, somewhere, someplace when you least expect it, someone steps up to you and says, smile! You're on Candid Camera!"
This is also true of our sin. When you least expect it, something will happen to expose your sin. We may think that we can conceal our sin from others because of our cleverness or because we keep it hidden in our thoughts only, but sin has a way of exposing itself. "Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death" (James 1:15, NAS).
It is very difficult to live our lives constantly fearing that others may find out what we are really like. "... behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23, NAS). This is why those who have secret sins try to avoid any meaningful contact with God. "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed" (John 3:20, NAS).
Even if we hide our sins successfully until the day we die, there will be no way to keep God from revealing all of our sins to all of creation. "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. " (Revelation 20:11--12, NAS)
Jesus said, "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known" (Luke 12:2, NAS).
D. Secret sins are most apt to deceive us
We tend to think that secret sins are not as bad as open sins. If we can't get arrested for it, or our neighbors don't know about it, we are more apt to think that those sins aren't all that bad. "Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression" (Psalm 19:12--13, NAS).
E. Secret sins block God's blessings
"If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear" (Psalm 66:18, NAS). God does not promise to answer our prayers when we are allowing secret sins to dwell in our hearts.
"Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom" (Psalm 51:6, NAS)
F. Virtual atheism causes secret sin
Atheists say that there is no God. Virtual atheists act as if God does not exist. "Then He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land' " (Ezekiel 8:12, NAS).
When Jonah announced that he served "the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land" (Jonah 1:9, NAS) then the pagan sailors asked a very good question: "'How could you do this?'" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them" (Jonah 1:10, NAS).
"We can never sin but there will be two witnesses present to observe and register it, our own selves, and God Himself." Ralph Venning [2]
"You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence" (Psalm 90:8, NAS)
III. What is the Solution to Secret Sin?
"Take heed of secret sins. They will undo thee if loved and maintained: one moth may spoil the garment; one leak drown the ship; a penknife stab can kill a man as well as a sword; so one sin may damn the soul; nay, there is more danger of a secret sin causing the miscarrying of the soul than open profaneness, because it's not so obvious to the reproofs of the world...." Jeremiah Burroughs [3]
A. Let the Bible reveal your sin
"The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:7--11, NAS).
B. Learn about God's universal presence
"The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; it rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit to the other end of them; and there is nothing hidden from its heat" (Psalm 19:1--6, NAS).
"'Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?' declares the LORD. ' Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?' declares the LORD" (Jeremiah 23:24, NAS).
"And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13, NAS).
"You are a God who sees" (Genesis 16:13, NAS).
C. Hate sin because it offends the Savior
"But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them" (Isaiah 63:10, NAS)
"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30, NAS).
We have not repented of our sin until we see our sin as ugly and repugnant: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:8--10, NAS).
D. Embrace the covering for sin that Christ purchased
There is not one of you here today that would want me to read off a list of your every sinful thought and deed. That would bring great shame. We would want someone to cover over our sins. The good news is that Jesus has made that possible. "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation [appease God's wrath] for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17, NAS)
Our sinful condition can be washed away: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. " (1 Corinthians 6:9--11, NAS)
"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:2--4, NAS)
CONCLUSION: There are times that our sins may seem small to us, but there really is no such thing.
"Indeed, to think any sin is little is a great sin, because, the least sin must have [Christ's] righteousness, this everlasting and infinite righteousness, for a covering." Obadiah Crew
If you have not done so already, run to Jesus for cleansing from all of your sin, public and private. Jesus bore the weight of your shame on Calvary. "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame... " (Hebrews 12:2, NAS).
Jesus told the church at Laodicea: "I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed..." (Revelation 3:18, NAS).
[1]P.R.V. Our Daily Bread, Saturday, August 2Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.
[2]Thomas, I. (1996). The golden treasury of Puritan quotations (electronic ed.) (263). Simpsonville SC: Christian Classics Foundation.
[3]Thomas, I. (1996). The golden treasury of Puritan quotations (electronic ed.) (263). Simpsonville SC: Christian Classics Foundation.
