He Who Covers His Sins Will Not Prosper

What is my intention tonight to encourage you? And to equip you. in your ongoing battle with remaining sin. And I want to draw instruction and gospel hope from My text, which is Proverbs 28, 13. You say, well, you read 1 John chapter 1.

I did. I'll make reference to that very shortly. But this is a textual message. It's one verse, and let me read it to you. Proverbs 28 verse 13.

He who covers his sins will not prosper. But whoever confesses and forsakes them We'll have Mercy. I want us to look at this text under four headings. Number one, the reality of sin. Number two, the danger to avoid regarding sin.

Number three, the gracious instructions. In dealing with sin, And then finally, the blessed promise reserved for those who heed these instructions. Mm-hmm. Let's walk through this together. And let me just say as we begin here that A good bit of the time is proportioned to this first heading.

So Don't get alarmed when you look at your watch and I've only covered the first heading. It's on purpose. Number one, the reality of sin. We must avoid the delusion. That to be a Christian is to be done with the reality of sin.

The Apostle John writing to churches. said in 1 John chapter 1 and verse 8, If we say That we have no sin. We deceive ourselves. And the truth is not in us. What is deception?

Deception is believing something to be untrue. You say welcome. How could someone be deceived about that?

Well, what is What are we told about sin? We're told that one of the attributes of sin, one of the characteristics of sin, is it's deceitful. We're warned about the deceitfulness of sin. That it promises something that it can't deliver. And we must understand there's deception here.

But not only that, Verse 8 says, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Verse 10 says, If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar. And his word is not in us.

So that's a very dangerous place to find ourselves if we are. As a believer denying the reality of sin.

Now, what I mean is the reality of present sin. You must be careful. We must not deny the reality of sin in our lives. Listen to the words. The great reformer John Calvin.

He said, quote, The children of God are freed. through regeneration from bondage to sin. Yet There still remains in them a continuing occasion for struggle whereby they may be exercised. and not only be exercised, but also Better learn their own weakness. There remains in a regenerate man a smoldering cinder of evil from which desires.

continually leap forth. to allure and spur him to commit sin. End of quote. In chapter six of the London Baptist Confession of Faith, under the heading of the fall of mankind and sin and its punishment. The confession reads thus, During this life This corruption of Nature remains in those who are regenerated.

Even though it is pardoned. and put to death through Christ. Yet both this corruption of nature and all actions arising from it, or truly And actually Sin. John Owen, in his book, The Mortification of Sin, said. Do you mortify?

And that's a word we're not accustomed to, but to mortify is to put to death. Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it while you live. Cease not a day from this work.

Be killing sin or it will be killing you. Didn't you notice? The the urgency that he's communicating in that. Make it your daily. Work.

Be always at it. While you live, cease not a day. from this work. Be killing sin, or it will be killing you. The reality of sin is alarming.

We must not despair, however. We know that sin remains. Because God has willed it to remain. You say, Whoa, whoa, better stop there and explain that. Let me ask you this question.

Is there a time? And the unfolding of redemption, where God will eradicate sin forever in the lives of believers. Is there a day? Is there a time? Absolutely.

Why not now? What purpose does God have? in allowing sin to remain in you and I. when he could eradicate it the moment He regenerated us. But he didn't.

That question is for another sermon on another time. We know that sin remains because God has willed it to remain. He isn't worried. He's not threatened. He isn't wringing his hands in heaven.

What is he doing? He is finishing the unimaginable work that he began in eternity past. God is determined to eradicate sin. in our lives progressively. That's why we believe in progressive sanctification.

And ultimately, that will lead to glorification. But that is Out there. Here's the good news. God has not left us alone. in our fallen predicament.

to fend for ourselves. We must not trust the arm of the flesh. I've heard so many erroneous things. said over the years. I've heard people describe our position in Our role in sanctification just to let go and let God.

Okay. Really? Just be passive, do nothing. That's erroneous. That's a ditch to stay out of, and then there's another ditch that it's, if it's going to be, it's up to you.

Well, that's really hopeless, isn't it? We must not trust the arm of the flesh. Listen to the warning of Jeremiah 17:5. Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. Jeremiah seventeen fi seventeen five.

So the encouragement is that God is with us in the fight. To give us enabling grace. We're not on our own. Jesus said in John 15:5, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me, You can do nothing.

In that verse, the verb Abide means to remain. with Jesus. He is the nourishing vine. And we are his nourished branches. And he has promised to remain with us despite our ongoing struggles with sin.

And since God's presence remains with us. Our dependence on Him remains as well. God uses the sin within us and our world to keep our eyes. on him continually. That's One of the reasons, I think, why God allows remaining sin.

Because He wants us to keep our eyes on Him. Continually. The Bible portrays the Christian life. In a number of ways. Hebrews 12.

Eight. portrays it as a race. And we are to run this race with endurance, fixing our eyes on Jesus. The author and finisher of our faith. who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising its shame.

and is set down at the right hand of God the Father. But not only did the Christian life portrayed as a race, but also as a fight. And Paul challenged Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. And Paul, at the end of his life, And 2 Timothy said this, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race.

I have kept the faith. And my mind always runs to what fight was Paul referring to? What good fight? Had he fought. And there could be Several answers to that, but I think the fight against indwelling sin has got to be a part of that answer.

Paul wrote Romans 7. He was honest with his struggle. with remaining sin.

So, in summary, the Christian life is a race. To the finish. And it is a faith-filled fight against sin. Both metaphors express the need for. Discipline.

Listen to These instructions. We wrestle and we wonder: what purpose does God have in? This ongoing struggle with sin. Our sovereign, wise, and good God often prescribes slow progress in the Christian life. in order to prevent us from trusting in our own power and our own plans.

Make no mistake, God hates sin. And if you have any doubt about that. Consider these elements are in front of us. God hates sin. And has a plan for its ultimate demise.

Until then. He is bending it, that is sin, remaining sin, to accomplish his will. What might that will be? Our prolonged struggle with sin is a tool by which God draws us to Himself. That teach us dependence upon Him.

This may not sound good to the ears, but it's good news because it's the truth. Sin is here to stay. God has providentially ordained that it remain a part of our lives until. Aren't you glad for that until? Until a glorious day when his purposes in redemption.

come to full fruition.

So, no matter how much we dislike the thought of a prolonged battle with sin. We must Reckon with what God has decided about sin's remaining power and presence in our lives. And this is a bit tricky. And it's tricky for this reason. Expectations are dangerous.

Expectations are dangerous. As easily as proper expectations foster encouragement. False expectations. can drive us to despair. To live rightly before God requires that our expectations fall in line with His promises.

If you expect in this life to arrive one day at a place of perfection. You are going to be greatly disappointed.

So, as we come to terms with the true nature of our Fallen condition. and agree with God about what to expect in this life. Our determination to kill sin will grow. Instead of feeling discouraged by the continual pull of temptation, The relentless exercise of repentance and the tiresome ups and downs of sanctification. We will run the race with more patience, with more understanding and with more hope.

What I'm telling you shouldn't discourage you. What I'm telling you should be a great encouragement and equipping to stay in the fight. Stay in the fight. We are to pursue holiness without which no one will see the Lord. There's a danger here to say, well, if sin's around, I can't get rid of it.

Well, then why fight it? Wi-Fi did it? Because God commands you to. What I love about the commands of God is. God always grounds His commands, the imperatives.

on the basis of indicative statements. And let me show you one of them. Turn to Colossians chapter 3. Colossians 3. Verse one: If you then were raised with Christ.

Seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. And here's the indicative statement. For you died. And your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When did you die? You died vicariously when Christ died. As a Christian, you are now dead to sin. That's the truth. of the gospel.

Verse 4 then says, When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory, therefore put to death. Your members which are on the earth. And you say, well, wait a minute. You just said I was dead.

Now I'm to put to death. It's not either or, it's both and. The first Is dealing with our justification before God on the basis of Christ's. Crosswork. When he says in verse five, therefore, Put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness.

Passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. That is progressive sanctification. We are to be actively putting to death these things and a whole lot of other things.

So there's Good news here. We have the means of grace, we have the Word of God, we have the indwelling Spirit of God. We have the promises of God. All for our benefit. I think this quotation by Martin Luther sums up.

I think very appropriately What I'm trying to say and what I'm trying to get at here with This first heading, The Reality of Sin. This is what he said: quote, this life. Is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness. Not health. but healing.

Not being, but becoming. Not rest, but exercise. We are not now what we shall be. But we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it has begun.

This is not the goal, but it is the road. At present, all does not gleam and glitter, but everything is being purified. End of quote. Yes, he who has begun a good work in us will continue it until the day. of Jesus Christ.

So that's my first heading. The reality of sin. But my second heading From Proverbs 28, verse 13: He who covers his sins will not prosper. An activity or an action that we are to avoid. And what is that?

We are to avoid This action of covering our sin. What does that look like? What does covering our sin look like?

Well There are more things to enumerate than I have the time for. But Our natural disposition is to cover our tracks. To cover our sin, to excuse our sin, to minimize our sin, to blame our sin. Rename our sin. And that's very dangerous.

territory to get into, but it is again our natural disposition. When confronted with sin, We're not inclined to say It's me. It's my fault. I'm not blaming anybody else. It's me.

I have sinned. Here's a very subtle way of covering our sins. I heard Gary Hendrix say this. on a sermon that I listened to a number of years ago, and I've never forgot it. He said, if you've only Only ever confessed sin and not sins, you're probably an unbeliever.

And I've thought a lot about that. He said more about that. It's easy to acknowledge, yes, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I'm a sinner. But notice what the text says.

He who covers his sins. Pure. Not his sin. It's not enough just to confess your sin nature. We're to confess our sins.

Those are specific sins. that the Spirit of God has convicted us about. and that we are to root out, we are to be mortifying, we are to be killing. We are to have a warlike mentality against those things.

So let me. Make six statements that will challenge you in this regard. Number one. You can face your sin. instead of hiding it.

You can face your sin. instead of hiding it. When we've been engaged in activity that is sinful and we've covered our tracks, it is a good day. When God turns the light on and exposes it. It is a sign of grace.

It is a sign of God caring enough for our soul to not allow us to continue on that road of sin. And that's good news in a lot of realms for adults. I think it's helpful for parents to be able to talk to our children because our children are sinners. They're going to sin. They're going to disappoint their parents.

And when we can come alongside them in those moments and say, you know what? It's a good God that allowed your sin to be known. You would have rather it have continued and been covered, and we wouldn't have known about it. But God was kind to you to bring it to light so that you might own it, and you might confess it and you might repent of it. We need to speak that way to our children.

You can face your sin instead of hiding it.

Now, let me speak to those of you who are here and are believers. It was a glorious day. It to me When this truth dawned on me, When God began to show me Levels of sin that I really hadn't even owned or wasn't even aware of. and began to be crushed by that. At the very same time, It came to me that God knew all of that and much worse about me, and yet still loved me enough to send Christ to die for my sins.

That's glorious.

So with that truth in mind, It should help us. to come into the light. and not hide. Because We're on a fool's errand. Aren't we?

All things are laid bare before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. You're not going to hide from God. You can't hide your sin from Him. You say, well, I've done a pretty good job of hiding from my spouse, or hiding from my parents, or hiding from my boss, or hiding from my friends.

Well, it's one thing to hide from them, it's another thing to hide from God. God sees. All things So, the good news of the gospel is: Jesus frees us to bring our sin into the light of His forgiveness. Because 1 John 1, 9 says, if we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The question is, what sins?

Past sins? Yes. Present sins? Yes. Future sins?

Yes. Yes?

So when Christ died to satisfy the debt of your sin, It included all sins. Past, present, and future. You say, well then Why do I need to confess them? Why do I need to own them? If Christ has paid the penalty for them and they're forgiven, They've been blotted out.

Well, we're talking about fellowship with God. And to restore fellowship with God, we want to be forgiven. We want to know that there's nothing between me and the Savior. Right?

So in Christ, we are free to confess our sin honestly, knowing that there is grace upon grace. And real hope for change. Number two, you can own your sin instead of blaming others. Where do we go for the first example of that? The garden.

Adam and Eve shifted the blame. When called to account, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. And pointing fingers didn't help anyone in the garden and it won't help now. They won't help now. Number three, you can accept your sin.

instead of making excuses. You can accept your sin instead of making excuses. The gospel gives us grace to acknowledge our sin personally. And it also frees us to accept our sin fully. and without excuses.

In counseling. I can't enumerate how many times I've heard this, but I've heard it. many times. Whether it's the son who's labored his whole life to earn the approval of his father and his father Mm-hmm. Will not.

approve him will not find anything in him to commend. And I don't think he's blind to that. I think that father's got to know that this son is desperately longing for his acceptance. And then and to hear the sun say, I've never heard my father. Admit a wrong.

Never heard him ever say sorry. That is a sad, sad. situation, isn't it? I hope that's not your problem. I hope that you're able to confess.

your sins. Openly. Own them. Because the Bible says, he who covers his sins will not prosper. It won't benefit you.

It won't help you. It won't help you this way horizontally, and it won't help you this way either. Number four. You can identify your sins. as sins instead of minimizing them.

It's tempting to Hold our sin against the backdrop of others' sins and conclude.

Well, my sin isn't so bad. I didn't murder anyone, I didn't do this, or I didn't do that. No, that is covering our sins. In God's covenant love, there is no longer any need to mount a defense before the judge. You know that lawyer that rises up within you when you know you've wronged.

So far. We've got a d we've got An advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous. And when you're accused of sin, Jesus doesn't say, well Father, just look the other way. He's pretty good 80% of the time. No.

He's a sinner. And I took his sins upon me at Calvary and paid in full his sin debt. He's free, Father. And that's why we can be honest about our sins. We don't have to.

Hide, cover our tracks. Therefore, you can acknowledge your sin instead of denying it. Squeezed between those two verses. 1 John 1:8 and 1 John 10 is That wonderful promise. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

and to cleanse us from all Unrighteousness.

Okay. So we've seen the reality of sin. Number two, the danger to avoid regarding sin. Number three, the gracious instructions for dealing with our sins. And what is it?

Proverbs 28 verse 13. He who covers his sins will not prosper, but Whoever confesses and forsakes them. That's the remedy. Confessing and forsaking. And what does it mean to confess?

It means to say the same thing about our sins that God says about our sins. It's agreeing with God. And we need grace to do that. Because there's something about our adamic fallenness that just. Bows up against it.

Agreeing with God about our sins, confessing, and then forsaking. Forsaking. Repentance. Turning from our sins. and turning toward God.

Okay. You say, well What about These besetting sins that the writer of Hebrews speaks about. I have this besetting sin. I've struggled with it. my whole life or a big part of my life.

There's a key word in that phrase. that is critical. And what is that word? struggle with We should never be at ease with sin. We should never make peace with sin.

We should never be content in our sin. We need to maintain a warlike mentality against sin, struggling with it, struggling against it, seeking to mortify it, seeking to put it to death. And some sins. Die a thousand blows, folks. I hate to say it.

But that's the reality of it. I've never liked it. Movies with violence. Just never where it's attracted to them. Never thought I I I just struggle with people that like to watch This I don't get it.

But anyway. I've seen enough commercials or advertisements for movies. And where this person's been shot eight or ten times and he's still walking around, you know. And you're thinking. What's going on there?

Well, whatever picture you got in your mind that I tried to paint for you. That is Since That's the nature of sin. It dies a thousand blows. Keep fighting. Keep fighting.

Because one day Christ will give him the final blow and it'll be done. It'll be over. It's not an option. Not an option to say, I quit. I fought against this.

I can't make any progress. I can't. Not an option. If you're a Christian. This is a difficult one, but listen, hear me out.

You can trust God with your sin. instead of despairing. You can trust God with your sin instead of despairing. In our moments of weakness, discouragement can so dominate our outlook that hope seems impossible. And despair has a powerful sweeping undercurrent.

Routinely. The psalmist groans under the weight of conviction and concern for his sin. He teeters on the brink of gloom and utter rejection. Yet, the knowledge of God's covenant love pulls him back from the precipice. I know some of you have felt hopeless about your sin struggles.

And have despaired over what seemed an unsolvable sin problem. Don't lose sight. of God's grace in His mercy and His care. Don't lose sight of that. I would be amiss if I did not say what I'm getting ready to say.

Robert Murray McShane. was famous for saying this. for every look at yourself. take ten looks at Christ. And what I'm challenging us to be.

concerned about here is self-awareness. We need to be good students of ourselves. Look within, know who we are, know what our issues are, know where we're struggling. By the grace of God, develop a A battle mindset. on how you're going to go about getting victory.

But there's a difference between self-awareness and self-absorption. As I said, take one look within, but look ten times at Christ. And then the question is, how do we How do we look to Christ? Turn with me to Psalm 84. I'm going to give you an example.

I want to teach you how to read. Your Bible. with gospel lenses. How to read your Bible with Christ in view. Psalm 84.

Verse 11 says this. For the Lord God is a son and a shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly. Question.

Is that promise for you? Do you qualify for that promise? Are you one? Who walks uprightly? Does that characterize your life?

Have you walked uprightly so that you may receive? The promise. And before you answer... Listen to what Paul says. There is no one who does good.

No. Not one. How then? Can God's favor rest upon you? How can this promise be yours?

This isn't moralism. This isn't. If you do these things, then these blessings will result. All right? That's how that could be interpreted and read.

For the Lord God is a son and a shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from whom? From those who walk uprightly. What if you haven't walked uprightly?

Are you disqualified? Does that promise not apply to you? No, he walked uprightly. On your behalf. And on his merit.

And on that meritorious grounds, Of His righteousness, we live in the favor of God now and forever. You've never earned one bit of God's favor. All favor that's come to you has come through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

So when you read verses like that, say, well, Man, I don't know if I'll ever arrive at that. I don't know whether I'll ever qualify for that. You won't. You can't. But he did.

And that's why we must look to Christ. When sin is slow to die. and doubts creep in. Remember the promise of God's favor, which is yes in Christ. And to look on Christ by faith is to look on him.

And His unmerited favour that's full and free. What promises attach back there and Uh Proverbs, where we were a minute ago. Proverbs 28:13, he who covers the sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will. Have Mercy. It's good news, folks.

That God is rich in mercy. He's rich in mercy. And that's why he can dispense it to sinners like you and me. And what is mercy? It's the gift of God's undeserved kindness and compassion.

His mercies are new what? Every morning. Praise the Lord for that.

So Here is instruction. And here is gospel hope for our living. in this world. as we struggle and wrestle with sin. And again, this table is a means of grace.

We come before this table rejoicing in Christ. That he has satisfied our sin debt, he has perfect. Righteousness has been imputed to our account. The record in heaven, we are perfect in God's sight. We rejoice in our Savior in that way.

But we are not all that He has meant for us to be. We are still sinners. And it's time to confess that, acknowledge that. Feed upon Christ afresh. Rejoice in the provision that He's made.

That his blood still forgives sin. and plead to him for that forgiveness. Let us pray. Father, thank you for your Son. Thank you for these promises that you have made.

Father, we acknowledge that sin is an unwelcome guest. That when you regenerated us, We became partakers of the divine nature. But that did not eradicate our old sinful nature. Our old sinful nature gained a roommate. But how we thank you for the divine nature that has been bestowed to us.

We pray, Father, for grace to fight against sin. To look upon Christ who has won the victory for his people. And to long for that day when sin will no longer be a part of our Constitution. But Lord, until that day... Give us grace.

to fight the good fight of faith. to contend with sin. To pursue holiness, knowing that without it no man will see the Lord. Thank you for the promises that you've given to your people. And thank you for what you've done for us in Christ.

As we prayed in His name. Amen. There we go.