Sunday Sermonettes| There Is No Escape: God Has Kept Our Secret Sins in the Light of His Presence

Sunday Sermonettes #082

Secret Sins: A Wake-up Call—There Is No Escape

Sometimes it is not sympathy that you and I need. Instead, what we need is a wake-up call that sounds the warning. When you struggle with temptation and sin, know that you and I are answerable to God for every hidden thing. There is no escape.

Yet God is willing to come alongside the person who deeply feels the weight of their sin and longs for his help.

Nothing Is Hidden from God

The Bible says, “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence (Psalm 90:8).” Therefore we are responsible.

We are to give account. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:13).”

The Books Are Opened: God’s Record of Every Secret

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books (Revelation 20:12).”

“A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened (Daniel 7:10).”

The divine record captures more than just our actions; it captures our hidden intent. So there is no escape. Every secret is laid bare and open.

Even the Heart Is Laid Bare Before God

Jesus taught that even sinful thoughts make us guilty before God, not just our actions.

Therefore, Jesus warned in the Sermon on the Mount that a lustful look at a woman is already adultery committed in the heart.

He also said that harbouring hatred in the heart against your brother or speaking a word of contempt can bring us under judgement.

We also use words thoughtlessly. From the irreverent use of God’s name in movies to the gossip we spread in private, we forget Jesus’ warning: “Men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken (Matthew 12:36).” For Jesus also made it clear that it is out of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).

The Great Exposure: When All Secrets Are Revealed

So there is no escaping the books that God has kept. They will be opened on judgement day.

Frightening. Yes. And it will just take the blink of an eye to run them all on screen. Then all our secret digital footprints will all be seen.

Time doesn’t hold true in eternity. Imagine, in one split second our entire lives being publicly exposed to the whole universe–before men and women, angels and demons.

There is no escape then. In the face of such an exposure, to whom can we turn to for help?

The Only Escape: Rescue Through Jesus Christ

Like the apostle Paul, in our desperation we may cry out, “Who will rescue me from this body of death (Romans 7:24)?” He thanked God and exclaimed that there is deliverance through Jesus Christ.

Yes, if we come to God with a sorrowful and broken heart, desiring to turn from our secret sins, the blood of Jesus on the cross is God’s way of cleansing us completely. We will be washed clean through his blood (1 John 1:7).

Help for the Helpless: God’s Strength for Those Who Struggle

We often forget that God is an ever-present help. He is not unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. He understands that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak in the face of temptation.

Jesus, when he lived on earth as a man, was tempted in every way just as you and I are—yet he did not sin. Therefore, he knows the force with which temptation knocks and batters at the door of our hearts. And he is willing to help us.

This does not mean there will be perfect victory every time. It does not mean we become spotless saints overnight. But it does mean this: God helps the helpless.

So run to God. Fix your eyes on his love for you—a love far greater than all your temptations and all your failures.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).”

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Featured image courtesy: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay