Sermon Central
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The Tragedy Of Covered Sin
Contributed by Daniel Olukoya on Nov 24, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: Sin is a fact of life and is the most horrible thing in the universe. In fact, if it was not for the issue of sin, Jesus had no business dying. Sin is so terrible that God had to surrender his own Son as a scapegoat so that He could be dealt with to elimi
God will not leave a vacuum in His programme. If He has placed you somewhere and expects you to perform and you do not, you are calling for replacement. It is sin when you refuse to attain His standard.
Concealment of sin has devastating effects. Any sin that is not confessed or that is excused will certainly invite the anger of a righteous and holy God against a person. The Bible says; “He that covereth his sin shall not prosper.” Many people do not understand what it means to cover up sin. You cover up your sin when you are making excuses. Many people do not take responsibility for their sins rather they blame others. They make excuses, and instead of blaming themselves, they cover up.
You may cover your sin by enveloping it in secrecy. You keep quiet and do not tell anyone about it. You may cover your sin with falsehood like Gehazi and it will lead to trouble. When you use a lie to cover up a lie, you will need another lie to cover up that lie and then you will become a perpetual liar. All liars shall have their place in the bottom of hell fire.
You may cover your sin by shifting the blame to another person. But in whatever way you do it, you may be the one turning back your own prosperity. The Bible says he that covereth his sins shall not prosper but whosoever confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. When Christians turn away from their sins, confess and forsake them, the power of God will move unhindered.
WHAT DOES CONFESSION MEAN?
Confession means to own up that you are guilty of an offence.
Confession means to reveal, expose, bare, unfold, uncover, or unveil. It also means to acknowledge and to plead guilty.
The folly of indulging in sin and excusing it invites trouble but when you confess your sins, you come nearer to God and get blessed. Anyone who wants to be nearer to God must not cover up anything before Him. Tell Him that innermost desire of your heart that is bad and very terrible. The reason some people are always thinking evil is that they are evil. Such people need to open up to the Lord.
The more you cover up your sin, the farther you go away from God. Do not be an hypocrite. Hypocrites cover up. They smile at people although they hate them. They pretend as if they like the people they hate. Beloved, if you are like that, please repent and open up to God. Some people came to Jesus asking Him about the people who perished and those that walls fell upon. They wanted to find out from Him what sin they committed. Jesus said, “Except you repent, you shall likewise perish” (Luke 13:5).
BENEFITS OF CONFESSION
1. Confession brings you nearer to God. The people the Bible refers to as the friends of God are those who keep very short account with God. Anytime they get into trouble with God, they get on their knees, confess their sins and tell God they are sorry. They ask for forgiveness.
2. Confession of sin makes the power of God to flow into your life.
3. A Great work of grace will come upon you.
4. Confession will turn your captivity into victory. Job chapter 42 verse 10 says, “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also, the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” When you confess your sin, God will turn your captivity into victory.
