Introduction
Many believers in Christ Jesus have been held captive by secret sins of the past and in some cases besetting sins of the present. They have become paralyzed and lost zest to function in their service to God who desire that His children experience healing and deliverance, walking in freedom and power.
Scripture: Proverbs 28:13
Concealing sin refers to
-refusal to acknowledge sin and its deadly effect.
-refusing to confess the sin
-rationalizing the sin away
The consequence is that a non penitent will not prosper
-the person is undone and ruined
Whoever confesses sin God will cover it through forgiveness and mercy. Anyone who covers sin God will expose it.
Satan instigate people to commit one sin and he set them up for the derivative sin of lying and false oaths to conceal the earlier sinful act.
Conspiracy, concealment and deception
1)Joseph’s brothers committed an act of betrayal: they agreed to sell and did sell Joseph into slavery in Egypt.
2)Joseph’s brothers kept their sinful act secret including the roles each played.
3)They conspired to deceive Jacob into believing that Joseph was devoured by wild animals. They advanced this deception by drenching Joseph’s coat of many colors with blood from a goat they killed and presented it to Jacob. The deception worked as Jacob believed that Joseph was dead. Genesis 37:31-33
4)As Jacob grieved his sons pretended to comfort him.Genesis 37:34-35
5)The deception could not last forever. Luke 8:17,12:2. Joseph is after all alive and elevated to a prominent position in Egypt. He was in a position to tell his story.
When you have skeletons in your closets:
Genesis 42:21-22
-You will be burdened by the unchangeable voice of conscience and memory Hebrews 4:13
-The tendency is to attribute any distress to be the punishment for past sin
-You will be hunted and burdened by the feeling of guilt Psalm 32:3
Application
Unmask the secret sins within and mourn over it
Clean out your closet – walk in the light and make necessary confessions 1 John 1:7
Do not do anything for which you will be ashamed if anyone knows about it..
-Time does not wipe away the sinfulness of an evil act
There will be condemnation
Positive concealment occurs when we confess our hidden sins and God cover and wipes them away through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Romans 4:7-8
-There will be no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus Romans 8:1