You can’t hide sin!

 
You can’t hide sin!

This morning we are going to talk about a man Named Achan. His story can be found in the seventh chapter of the book of Joshua. Most people know this story as a story concerning hidden sin. We will be discussing the hidden sin found in this chapter.
As with most of humanity, when we sin or disobey the laws we try to cover it up. Leading up to chapter seven God had given very specific instructions to the children of Israel. They had just destroyed Jericho and were supposed to turn all the spoils (gold, silver, etc…) over to the Lord. Achan was tempted and succumbed to his temptation. He coveted, stole, and hid some of the devoted items of the Lord. These items he hid under his tent in hopes that no one would discover them. “But God” knew about it.

Picture with me a moment. Have you ever went camping where you slept in a tent and bare ground? I have many of times. One of the first things you do is clear every rock, stick, and trash to make the ground as smooth as possible. You pitch your tent, lay out you bed, and now you’re ready for bed. You’ve spent half the day preparing your site for the most pleasant sleep ever. You climb into your sleeping bag and feel the worst possible annoying thing imaginable… a small pebble that feels like a boulder poking you in your side.

Here we have Achan who has fell into sin, stole a few items, and has hidden under the floor of his tent. I could only imagine him laying there trying to sleep with the guilt of his sin poking him in his side. I wonder while he was trying to sleep if he was thinking “did anybody see what he’d done?”, “did I cover it up good enough?”, “what did I do?”, or “what if someone finds out?”.  You see as a child or God we should feel uneasy when we have sinned against His Holy Word. I wonder if the boulder of his sin felt like that little pebble under our sleeping bag?

Just like Achan when we sin we attempt to cover it up in hopes that no one will find out. We even, I believe, try to conceal it from God the Father. Look at Adam and Eve in the garden. After they ate of the forbidden fruit they sewed together fig leaves to cover their nakedness (sin) and they hid themselves from God as he entered the garden (Gen 3). King David, a man after God’s own heart, tried to cover his sin after sleeping with Bathsheba by killing her husband (2 Samual 11). God sees all things and he is aware of every sin man has committed or will ever commit (Numbers 32:23 “but if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out”).

As we read the rest of the story we find out that because of Achan’s sin  he and his family along with their possessions were put to death and utterly destroyed. You see with sin comes death. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death”. With Adam and Eve there was a sacrifice made of animals to make clothing to cover their nakedness before God expelled them from the Garden. With David and Bathsheba the fruit of their sin was sacrificed (2 Samual 12). Don’t misunderstand me here on this. Not all death and destruction is directly related to sin but because of sin we have death.

Adam and Eve lived in the garden and could freely eat of all trees including the tree of life. The only restriction was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The reason God ejected them from the garden after the fall was to prevent them from having eternal life by eating the fruit from the tree of life (Gen 3:22-24).

We have all sinned. We may not have eaten a forbidden fruit, coveted and stole treasures that were devoted to God, or committed adultery and murder to cover it up but we have all sinned. We have all sinned and according to scripture (Romans 6) we all deserve to pay the penalty of death for our sin.

The good news is the rest of Romans 6:23 goes on to say  “BUT” the gift of god is eternal life through Jesus Christ or Lord. Under the law the penalty for sin was death but we are now under grace. Not that we are no longer bound by the law we are just forgiven of the penalty by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. His death paid the penalty for our sin debt. 2 Corinthian 5:21 says that He (God) hath made him (Jesus Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Romans 3:24 being Justified freely by his Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:8-21  "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."  Rom 5:8-21

Ephesians 4:7 "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."  Eph 4:7

Romans chapters 5 and 6 mention this free gift as well as Ephesians 4. You may be asking what is this gift and how do you receive it. This free gift is the gift of salvation and to receive it all you have to do is ask for it. Romans 10:9-10 says "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."  Rom 10:9-10
And Romans 10:13 is the promise to fulfill. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."  Rom 10:13