Pastor’s Desk July 6th

Posted on 5Jul CATEGORIES: Pastor's Desk

Scripture Passage: “He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13

Dear Friends,

One of my favorite ways to answer someone when they ask me what I am going to preach about Sunday is: “Sin! I’m against it.” As funny as it sounds, most people are not. They like to pick and choose what they want to call sin. It usually involves what someone else is doing and not themselves. The American people are fascinated with conspiracy theories and cover-up schemes. Water Gate in the early 1970’s was a cover up scheme from the Richard Nixon presidency. I remember hearing public opinion as a little boy concerning the scandal. Some would say, “He was only doing what every politician does.” The one that sticks out in my mind the most is, “The only thing Richard Nixon did wrong was to get caught.” Really? Are you kidding me? Remember the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal with Bill Clinton? Now Donald Trump has been impeached, but found not guilty for his supposed involvement in Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. All of these things support my theory that no one sins anymore. “Not me. I didn’t do it!” starts with children and continues into adulthood. Rather than repent, we just cover sin up and continue on as if nothing ever happened. That may work in the warped world we live in, but it does not work with God.

Solomon was an extremely brilliant man. He had made wise and godly decisions that brought wealth and prosperity to the nation of Israel as well as personally. In later years he began to be influenced by his many wives and the cultures they came from. Wise decisions were replaced with foolish ones and godliness was replaced with worldliness. Repentance turned to cover up and Solomon died devoid of God’s blessings. So, I wonder – where did Solomon get the basis for this Proverb? Let us look at his father, David.

Psalms 32:1 says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Psalms 32:5 says, “I acknowledge my sin unto you, and mine iniquity have I not hid.” I said, “I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” Selah. Scripture teaches us that David was a man after God’s own heart. He was a sinner who failed in many ways, but when God exposed those sins, he always confessed and repented. He died an old man at peace with God and at peace with the nations around him. His confessed sins were forgiven and then covered by the blood. In his day, it was covered by the blood of a lamb. In our day it is by the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Sin that is not confessed and repented of cannot be covered. Period!

Now, let’s go to I John 1:7-10. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” True repentance is agreeing with God about what He knows to be true. Confessions and repentance leads to brokenness, which in the end brings healing.

In Christ,

Pastor Johnny