Me (Greg Burdine) in my Church Clothes at about 5 years old.
When I was a kid my mom used to tell me to make sure I wore my ‘play clothes’ outside. I had three sets of clothes. Church clothes included a white shirt, dress pants, dress shoes & sometimes a tie. I also had school clothes that weren’t as fancy but were in good shape. But my play clothes became such because I got a stain on it, tore the knees out and my mom patched them, or just got so old it didn’t matter. In the summer, my mom would cut my pants off at the knees and they would become my play shorts.
However, sometimes I was in too much of a hurry to change clothes. Getting out of school, I didn’t want to take the time to change before I went out for a backyard baseball game. After church, I didn’t think I needed to change to ride my tricycle because I wouldn’t get too dirty. So sometimes I’d play outside in my good clothes.
But being a boy, I would inevitably get dirty, get a grass stain, or tear the knee out of my pants. Instead of telling my mom, I would quickly change clothes and hide my good clothes somewhere she wouldn’t find them – under my bed or at the bottom of the dirty clothes pail. But she would always find them. No matter how long it had been, she would pull out those hidden dirty clothes with a “What is THIS!?” Then I had to not only own up to getting my good clothes dirty, but why I tried to hide it.
I still do this! Not with my clothes (Well, maybe I do.). I do it with sin. I try to hide my sin from my family, my friends, my church, even God. I don’t want my stains to show. I excuse it as not sin, but a mistake. I act like it didn’t happen. I lie.
Have you ever tried to hide your sin? David did. In 2 Samuel 11-12 we discover he committed adultery and tried to cover it up. Read the story. The sin was bad enough, but his cover up even worse.
Psalm 32 (along with Psalm 51) is David’s Prayer of Repentance. Please read verses 1-7 below and notice David’s response to sin.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. (Psalm 32:1-7)
1. The Effects of Sin
David kept silent about his sins. David committed adultery, he lied and deceived, and murdered, but he didn’t want to think about it and certainly didn’t want to admit it. This is true of so many of us. When we do allow ourselves to get caught up in sin, we don’t want to admit it. We think if we shove our sins back into the recesses of our minds and not dwell on them, we can live with ourselves a little easier. Many Christians have secret sins – sins that we commit that we don’t want anybody to know about. David’s silence affected him physically. His sin gnawed at him until it literally sickened him. David kept his sin silent for almost a year. During that time he lived in constant misery. He suffered spiritually, emotionally, physically, and relationally. The refusal to acknowledge our sin can affect us in many ways: depression, sleepless nights, physical illness, problems at home and on the job.
2. The Confession of Sin
David finally confessed to God and brought his sins before Him. It wasn’t until the prophet Nathan came to David with a revealing story that he confessed his guilt and said “I have sinned” (2 Sam. 12:13). For almost a year David lived in misery because he kept silent about his sin. It wasn’t until he confessed that the burden of guilt was lifted. His body aches left, his cries turned to joy and he could once again straighten up and hold his head high because he had been restored to the holy position. When we confess our sin, it is as if a huge burden has lifted. It has!
3. The Forgiveness of Sin
David confessed to God and the Father joyfully forgave him. That is very humbling. He knew how deeply he hurt God and disappointed Him, but God delivered him from his own sin. God never delights in sin, is not amused by our wickedness, nor smiles at our transgressions. But He does delight in extending mercy (Micah 7:18). You don’t have to approach God shielding your head just in case He destroys you with his backhand. The broken spirit provokes in God inexpressible joy.
Why do you think people try to hide their sin?
What encouragement can you give others to confess sin?