Thread by @TosinOlunuga

Results of Secret Sin.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, loved practical jokes.
Once he sent a telegram to each of 12 friends.

All were men of great virtue and respected in society.
The telegram said, "Flee at once, your secret is discovered!"

Within 24 hours, the story goes, all twelve had left  the country!
There may be some playful exaggeration here, but the
point is usually true that many people, including
Christians, are not what they seem to be.

James 1:15 "Then after our desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death."

SIN GROWS.
Sin always takes you further than you wanted to go.
Sin Cost you more than you want to pay,
Sin keep you longer than you want to stay.

In a conservative southern church (name withheld) , the pastor's wife found pornography on her husband's computer. After confronting him with the evidence, he admitted downloading d images off d internet, even using d computer in his study which was located in d church itself. .

In another bible-believing church not far from my home, a Christian businessman sought investment capital from other Christian individuals & businesses. He promised to invest d money in new Christian enterprises & promised a high rate of return on their money.  Alas, however,

there was no new enterprise, and there was no return on their money. He had embezzled hundreds of thousands of Naira from his fellow Christians.  He was charged by authorities and jailed.  The unbelieving world had another excuse to demean biblical Christianity.

A nice Christian family joined the church by letter from another city.  The couple had four wonderful little boys ranging in age from two years up to ten years.The wife had a beautiful voice and sang specials in the church, while the husband was a Sunday School teacher and had

taught sunday school at their former church.  But both man and wife had a terrible secret.  He (husband) had a terrible temper that caused him to abuse his wife both physically and emotionally.  No one in the church had any idea until she took her boys and left to return to her

hometown. Her husband followed her back and tried to reconcile with her. But his secret was now public and there was no turning back.

Proverbs 28:13 says."He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth & forsaketh them shall have mercy."

The word "covereth"

means to hide or conceal.

The word "prosper" means to advance, succeed, make progress.

There are professing Christians in almost every church who believe dat they are prospering in spite of hidden secret sins; they have convinced themselves dat their sin is condoned by God.

But there is no real success when you carry the baggage of secret sin in your life..

There is a bible story which proves this truth.  I direct you to one of the saddest and sternest passages anywhere in the bible, Joshua chapter 7v1-26. It's the story of Achan

This is a very disturbing story for most of us. It wld seem to our modern minds dat God was 2 hard on Achan. 

d religious liberal  may say that d punishment did not fit d crime. 

D story of Achan & his secret sin reveals some pertinent truths for Christians in this age of grace

Let us take a look at d background & meaning of d names of Achan's family tree:
Achan = "troubler" a stealing generation
Carmi = "my vineyard" a selfish generation
Zabdi = "endowment" a supplied generation
Zerah or Zarah = "rising" a successful generation

Notice the downward

progression with each generation looking all d way back to Achan's great-grandfather.

Zerah's life had been a success; but his son Zabdi was supplied by Zerah's riches.

Achan's father's name, Carmi, denotes selfishness, bringing us to Achan himself, the troubler.

Achan paid for his secret sin with his life & d life of his family.

Certain things are discernible in d life of Achan
1. Achan Lost d Fight with his People
2. Achan Lost d Fortune that He Gained.
3. Achan Lost d Fullness of his Inheritance
4. Achan Lost d Family of his Heart

Probably the most painful aspect of this story is the fact that Achan's sin condemned his family as well as himself.  
What a terrible price to pay!  What a terrible lesson to learn!  

There are those that would charge God with error in his severe judgment.

But the fact is that our sins do affect others.    

No Christian wld ever set out with a goal of destroying his family, 
but it happens every day. A father leaves his wife for another woman.

The teenage boy rebels against both parents in his anger at being betrayed by his father. The father had taught him life lessons, had modeled godly behavior before him all of his life. Now he turns his back on his wife & son.

That father can not honestly say, "Son, it's not about you." Likely, that son is lost to the things of God. The father has fallen and possibly brought his son down with him.

Do not blame God for harshly judging Achan and his family.

5. Achan Lost the Fulfillment of his Purpose 
God created Achan for a purpose.  God did not cause Achan to sin; He only recorded his choice to sin.
 God is not willing that the unsaved die without Christ and go to Hell.  

Yet He must allow man to make his choices.  Every

human being is born with a purpose and mission in life.  We are to glorify God and serve him.  

Achan's name means "troubler." But he did not have to die in the way that he did.

God could have fulfilled His purpose in Achan's name by allowing him to be such a good soldier

that he "troubled" the enemy at every point.

God desired that Achan would take his place among his people, that he would occupy his place and give honor to God. But Achan's sin had too great of a hold on him. He just could not let it go!

Conclusion: 

Charles Spurgeon said in a message, "You say that you can handle your secret sins, that there is no one hurt by them. 

But you may as well ask the lion to let you put your head into his mouth. You cannot regulate his jaws: neither can you regulate sin. Once done,

you cannot tell when you will be destroyed. You may put your head in and out a great many times; but one of these days it will be a costly venture. "

Another Spurgeon illustration:, Secret sin is like a pet dog.  When you open the door of your house, he goes out into the street.

u can try to chase him down & quiet him, but he barks & tells your business.
Christian friend, do not continue to hide your sin. 
Don't harbor dat sin, buried deep in d tent floor of your heart. It will affect your family, your home, your spiritual inheritance, & your purpose

in life. 

There is no sin worthy of separating us from our Father. It is not necessary to confess your secret sins to everyone, for it is none of their business. Do business with God. Repent & let God restore u to fellowship.

Shalom & God bless
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