A.In general, sinners do not want their sins exposed to the light of truth and righteousness.
1.Jesus said, "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).
2.The truth of Christ’s words is evident in the deeds of sinners, for they seek both physical and spiritual darkness.Notice the following passages:
a."Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.” (Eph. 5:7-13)
b."For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.” (1Thess. 5:7-8).
B.Sinners who want their sins to be covered need to find the right way to accomplish their goal.Presently, let us consider both the wrong way and the right way to cover sins.
II.SINNERS WANT THEIR SINS COVERED
A.Sinners want their sins covered because they do not want the disapproval and condemnation for sins.
1.Many sinners attempt to hide their sins from others (spouses, parents, children, brethren, etc.) because they want to avoid the trouble their sins will cause.Some succeed in this.
2.Ultimately, it is a matter of sinners wanting to hide their sins from God’s eyes in order to avoid the punishment that is due.None will succeed in this.
B.Sinners are not able to conceal their sins from God.
1.Consider the example of the world’s first sinners, Adam and Eve (Gen. 3).
a.When they had sinned, they immediately tried to cover their shame.
i.They sewed fig leaves to cover their nakedness.
ii.They hid themselves in the garden.
b.Despite their efforts to hide, they failed to conceal their sin from the eyes of God.He found them immediately and knew that they had disobeyed Him.
2.The first sinners were not able to conceal their sins from God, and neither can we.
a.The physical covering of Adam and Eve corresponds to the spiritual covering that sinners seek as a way to hide the shame and guilt of their sin.Adam and Eve failed to cover themselves properly, and likewise sinners cannot cover their sins on their own.
b.No one can hide from the sight of God.Notice Hebrews 4:13 – "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.”
III.THE WRONG WAY TO COVER SINS
A.Many sinners choose the wrong way to cover their sins.
1.Many sinners attempt to cover their sins by lying about their sins, denying their sins, blaming others for their sins, falsely justifying themselves, or otherwise avoiding the truth about their sins.
2.Some even trust in the passing of time as a way of covering their sins.However, the Scripture has this fearful warning: "Be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23).
3.Any attempt to cover sins in the wrong way is doomed to failure.Notice Proverbs 28:13a – "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper…” (We will notice the rest of this verse later.)
B.Consider some examples of wrong ways for covering sins.
1.Adam tried to blame his wife and God for his sin.Notice Genesis 3:12 – "The man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.’”
2.Achan tried to hide his stolen bounty in the ground under his tent (Josh. 7:20-21).
3.David resorted to an evil scheme of deceit, treachery, and murder in order to hide his sin (2Sam. 11).
4.None of these succeeded in covering their sins.In the cases of Achan and David, they successfully covered their sins from the eyes of men for a time, but God saw it all.
IV.THE RIGHT WAY TO COVER SINS
A.The only right and true way to cover sins is by forgiveness.
1.Notice how the following verses from the Psalms show that forgiving sins is equivalent to covering sins.
a."How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!” (Ps. 32:1-2)
b."You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin.” (Ps. 85:2)
2.We considered part of Proverbs 28:13 before, but now let us notice the whole message – "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.”
B.The only right and true way to obtain forgiveness of sins is through the gospel of Christ.
1.A sinner who has never submitted to Christ must seek forgiveness through Jesus on the terms of His gospel.
a.Christ’s gospel is the good news of forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus – "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:12-13)
b.One term of the gospel is belief in Christ – "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 10:43)
c.Two other terms are repentance from sins and baptism in Christ’s name – "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
2.Likewise, a Christian who has once obtained forgiveness of past sins must continue to abide in Christ in order to have forgiveness of subsequent sins.
a.This includes a continual practice of righteousness that excludes any habits of sin (walking in darkness) – "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1John 1:6-7).
b.This also includes confession of sins unto God – "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9)
c.Furthermore, an erring Christian must also repent of any sins in order to be forgiven – "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.” (Acts 8:22)
V.CONCLUSION
A.Let us realize the great blessings of covering sins in the right way.
1.We might succeed in covering our sins in the wrong way from the eyes of all other men, but we will stand condemned in the eyes of our God, who sees all and knows all.
2.On the other hand, as long as our sins are covered by the forgiveness of God in Christ Jesus, it does not matter is everyone in the world about our shame.Ultimately, we want to receive eternal life, and covering our sins through Christ is the way to reach that blessed goal.
B.Therefore, let embrace our need to cover our sins, but let us be sure to do so in the right way through forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
