What’s Your Secret?
What’s your secret? What’s your secret to looking young? What’s your secret to losing weight? What’s your secret to cooking? What’s your secret to success? What’s your secret to happiness? What’s your secret to life? What’s your secret tonight?
Secret Sins
Do you have any secret sins that no one else knows about? Do you have secret sins that you are ashamed of? Would you wish you were dead if others found out about your secret sins? Aren’t you glad that you are the only one that knows about them?
When I was in high school I went through a stage where I stole things. I would go into a store and steal something (usually something small) just for the thrill of getting away with it. I typically had enough money on me to pay for the item, but I’d take it anyway. Just to see if I could get away with it.
Now I’m not proud of this and I certainly don’t endorse or condone stealing. I’m merely pointing out that I have had secret sins in my past. I’ve committed wicked enough sins that I’d be mortified if anyone else found out about them. But praise God, my sins have been forgiven. I have been redeemed. I’ve been washed white as snow. God has forgiven me fully and completely for all my sins, even the secret sins of my past because I have repented and put my faith in Jesus Christ – my Lord and Savior.
Sins On Other Human Beings Know About
Do you have any secret sins tonight? Have you committed iniquities that no other human being knows about? Maybe you watch pornography when nobody else is around. Or maybe you’ve had sex with your best friend’s girlfriend? Maybe you’ve stolen something from your family or best friend in order to buy drugs and didn’t’ get caught. What secret sins do you have in your life? Are you burdened with guilt? Does your conscience bother you over your wickedness?
Maybe tonight you think that you have truly gotten away with your secret sins. Just maybe you really have pulled it off and no one knows your secret except for you. But my friend, you are wrong. Our all-knowing, ever present and all powerful God knows all of your sins, even your secret sins. He knows the next words you are going to form in your mouth, even before you think them. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether (Psalm 139:4). God sees all and He knows all. He knows your secret sins. Did you know this? Does this make you shudder with fear?
God Is God
Psalm 90:1-9 says: Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
God Is The Great Creator
These verses point out that God is the great Creator. We didn’t evolve. Nothing has ever created anything, let alone everything. God was the Great God before He created the world and us and He will still be the One True God after this earth is dissolved. Our lives are but grass that grows today and is cut down in the evening.
God is angry with unrepentant sinners over their sins. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him (John 3:36).
Not only is God angry with you tonight over your sins, again He sees your secret sins. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. God knows your secret sins. You may have the world fooled over your secret sins, but God is not fooled and God will not be mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (Galatians 6:7-8).
God Knows Your Heart
God knows your heart, which the Bible says is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). The Lord knows your thoughts, even your secret thoughts. God knows your hidden desires; what you secretly lust after. What you covet behind closed doors. So what wickedness do you seek after that no one else knows about?
Ecclesiastes 12:14 states: For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Jesus said in Matthew 12:34-37: O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Judgment To Come
Folks, I hope you are seeing the seriousness of these Bible verses. We’ve all sinned against God. We’ve all fallen short of His glory. There is judgment to come. Not only will you be judged by God over your words and your actions but even for your wicked thoughts. This should scare you. This should petrify you. Judgment Day is no joke and if you die without Jesus Christ, it will be a most unpleasant day for you on that great and terrible day of the Lord.
Revelation 20:11-15 says: And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
This is not a joke and it is not a game. Judgment Day is real and it is coming. Even your secret sins will be revealed by God for the whole world to see. This is going to happen to you unless you repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only Savior of mankind. He is the only way of salvation. But God commands everyone to repent because He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through Jesus (Acts 17:30-31).
Christ The Lord Only Savior
Christ The Lord is the only Savior because He is the only one who ever lived a sinless, perfect life. He was able to do this because He was fully God and fully man. Even though Jesus was tempted in every way that you and I are tempted, He never sinned. Not one time He always did the will of God the Father. Yet He willingly gave up His life for guilty sinners like us. Jesus Christ never sinned in His thoughts, words or actions, yet He was beaten beyond recognition and suffered, bled and died on the cruel cross. Jesus endured the punishment that you and I deserve.
He rose victoriously from the grave. He willingly laid His life down and He picked it up again. Jesus now sits at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven. He prays for His followers, those who repent and put their faith in Him.
You Can Be Saved
Oh, you can be saved tonight. No matter how wicked of life you have lived. No matter how many deep, dark secret sins you have committed, you can be forgiven. No matter how far and how hard you have run from God your whole life, you can be saved. If, you hear the Savior calling. Is God convicting you over your sins? Especially your secret sins? If God is convicting you, if your conscience is burdened beyond belief, you can find relief tonight. Your sins can be forgiven. You can be cleansed. You can be made whole. Tonight, you can be made right with God. Through Christ alone.
Is this you tonight? Will you admit that you are a sinner? Oh, will you cry out for God to save you? Will you repent and surrender your life to Jesus Christ? Will you submit to His Lordship? If you have godly sorrow over your sins, this is a good thing. For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of (2 Corinthians 7:10). You can receive everlasting life, if you truly repent and put your faith in Jesus.
Your Sins Can Be Forgiven
Your sins can be forgiven. All your sins. Even your secret sins. God has forgiven all my sins, even the secret sins from my past that I’m not willing to share with anyone. Your slate can also be wiped clean. Your guilty conscience can be cleared. You can become a new creature in Christ. Your sins can truly be forgiven. Oh dear sinner, won’t you cry out to God to save you? Won’t you cry out for God to have mercy on your soul? Turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. Put your trust in Him. Trust in the Lord with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5).
Confess and Believe
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:8-13).
Call upon the name of Jesus. Cry out for Jesus to save you. Repent and submit your life to the Lord Jesus. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). Receive forgiveness for your sins, all your sins, even your secret sins.
(This message was proclaimed in downtown Springfield, MO on May 19, 2017)