Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Your Sin Will ALWAYS Find You Out

My mom is a pretty wise woman. Wiser than pretty much any other woman that I know. For the past week, I have been thinking about something that she always told us growing up: "Your sin will always find you out whether in this life or the next." And it always did . . . in this life for some reason. I don't think that it had anything to do with her having eyes in the back of her head or ears in every room of the house (benefits of being a mom, I guess). Rather, I think that it had something to do with the following verses:

John 3:20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

Eph. 5:13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

God is light, and He will expose sin. You may think that you're getting away with something, but God has other plans.

Deu 32:25 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in [due] time; For the day of their calamity [is] at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.

Now this is probably one of the most infamous verses in the Bible because of Jonathan Edwards' famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." While this sermon generally has a bad reputation because of bad American lit. teachers in public schools, it is actually a fantastic sermon . . . and one that is very much true.

The following excerpt from Edwards' sermon (in italics) is both interesting and poignant:

The expression I have chosen for my text, their foot shall slide in due time, seems to imply the following things, relating to the punishment and destruction to which these wicked Israelites were exposed.

  1. That they were always exposed to destruction; as one that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to fall. This is implied in the manner of their destruction coming upon them, being represented by their foot sliding. The same is expressed, Psalm 73:18. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction."

  2. It implies, that they were always exposed to sudden unexpected destruction. As he that walks in slippery places is every moment liable to fall, he cannot foresee one moment whether he shall stand or fall the next; and when he does fall, he falls at once without warning: Which is also expressed in Psalm 73:18,19. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction: How are they brought into desolation as in a moment!"

  3. Another thing implied is, that they are liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of another; as he that stands or walks on slippery ground needs nothing but his own weight to throw him down.

  4. That the reason why they are not fallen already and do not fall now is only that God's appointed time is not come. For it is said, that when that due time, or appointed time comes, their foot shall slide. Then they shall be left to fall, as they are inclined by their own weight. God will not hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go; and then, at that very instant, they shall fall into destruction; as he that stands on such slippery declining ground, on the edge of a pit, he cannot stand alone, when he is let go he immediately falls and is lost.

Observation number three is especially interesting to me. It is easy to be tempted to bring down others who have wronged you, and perhaps this would be something that God would have you do (one would have to be sure that it was done for pure reasons and not those of revenge). However, the Bible and Edwards make it clear that God does not need our help to bring down the wicked. They will bring themselves down, whether in this life or the next. Anytime somebody sins he is walking on slippery ground (or treading on thin ice). As anyone knows, this is very dangerous. It doesn't take much to slip on ice or on slippery ground.

I am reminded of my honeymoon in Mexico. Mid-July, 115 degrees in the shade, 90% humidity . . . and I was wearing worn-out Old Navy flip-flops that had absolutely no tread. I stepped off of the public bus (Patrick and I were on our way to do some shopping), and my foot slipped on the slippery pavement--I almost had a nasty fall. Or think of when one is on ice and begins to slip--if you reach out and grab the person walking with you, both of you are likely to pull each other down and fall. It only takes one tiny misstep, one little mistake. The consequences of a fall on pavement or on ice are likely to be a painful tailbone and will only last a week or so. The results of a tumble down the slippery slope of sin, however, could be life altering and last forever.

Don't tread the path of sin . . . and don't walk with men who do--they will take you down with them with no thought for you, your well-being, or your family. Your sin will always find you out. Rather, GOD will always find you out. Instead, seek the truth and sell it not. Forsake the company of evil men. Follow God, and He will never lead you astray. Remember, God might not use other men to reveal/expose your sin--it could be the slipping of your own foot.

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