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Or you can turn in your Bibles 
to the book of Proverbs, Proverbs chapter 28. Proverbs 28, I'll read verse 
13, then we'll ask God's blessing as we look at this particular 
passage in some detail. Proverbs 28, 13, He who covers 
his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes 
them will have mercy. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, this is indeed a brief text, but a full text in how 
we thank You for the truth that it contains, how we know it is 
our natural propensity and tendency and inclination to try and cover 
our own sin. God help us to receive the truth 
from this passage, that if we do so, we will not prosper. God, help us to appreciate the 
latter half, the reality that whoever confesses, whoever forsakes 
that sin, will indeed find mercy. For God, You are a God of mercy. You are a God of kindness, a 
God of goodness, a God who does not deal with us as we deserve. And Lord God, may this encourage 
our hearts tonight, and may we afresh consider the doing of 
Christ on our behalf. The fact that by grace, through 
faith in Him, we know the mercy of God. We know complete forgiveness 
for our sins. As the prophet Micah said, who 
is a God like you, pardoning our iniquity? He speaks of you, 
casting our transgressions into the depths of the sea. David 
speaks of the blessedness of the man whose sin is forgiven, 
whose transgressions are covered. God, we see the saints in both 
Old and New Testaments rejoicing in the goodness of God over this 
reality. May we likewise rejoice. May 
we truly glorify your awesome name for the forgiveness that 
you have given unto us, for the mercy that we have received. 
We do pray that more and more sinners would come to know this 
God of mercy through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. We pray 
that for our meeting here tonight. Should there be those outside 
of Christ, we pray that today would be the day of salvation, 
that you would bring the conviction for sin. And if they are engaged 
in that practice of trying to cover their own sin, may you 
expose it in their own hearts and may you show them that you 
are indeed a God of mercy. We pray that not only for our 
gathering here, but throughout the earth. Certainly, God, as 
we look at this land, as we look at not only our nation, but the 
nations of the earth, we see all manner of corruption and 
lawlessness and wickedness. In many respects, it looks like 
the earth prior to the days of the flood, when the earth was 
exceedingly corrupt and filled with violence. We see that sort 
of thing played out each and every day. We see abortion and 
euthanasia. We see sodomy. We see all manner 
of lawlessness being vaunted, flouted throughout the earth. And our Father, we pray for the 
preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We know that some trust 
in horses, others trust in chariots, but we trust in the name of our 
God in heaven. So send forth your holy word, 
cause it to run swiftly and be glorified. Let the nations be 
glad and may Jesus Christ have dominion from sea to sea. Again, 
forgive us for our sins and fill us with your Holy Spirit, and 
encourage our hearts now as we look to the school of Solomon 
concerning the mercy of God Almighty. And we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, the verse is quite 
simple, and I could just read it, and then we could pray, and 
then go right into the supper, but there are several things 
as a preacher that I do have to say with reference to this 
text. Now, it breaks down, obviously, into parts. First, there is a 
problem addressed. He who covers his sins will not 
prosper. And then secondly, there is a 
solution provided, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will 
have mercy. In other words, we are dealing 
here with the problem of sin and the mercy of God. So let's 
look at the problem first. He who covers his sins will not 
prosper. Now, the text assumes at least 
two things. First of all, the text assumes 
that man does sin. The Bible is very clear from 
Genesis to Revelation that man's problem is not economic, man's 
problem is not political, man's problem is not sociological, 
man's problem is ethical. He is a transgressor against 
the true and living God. The moment that Adam sinned against 
God, we sinned in Him. We fell in Him. And as a result, 
we all have inherited original sin. As well, there are actual 
transgressions that proceed from our hearts. We are born, according 
to Scripture, or rather, going even before that, we are conceived 
in iniquity. When David is tracing his native 
depravity, he goes back to conception. He says, in sin did my mother 
conceive me. He doesn't mean the conjugal 
relationship between his father and mother were sin or was sin, 
but rather the moment that David was David, he was in fact a sinner. The psalmist also says in Psalm 
58.3, the wicked go estranged from the womb, speaking lies 
as soon as they are born. We see Paul's treatment in Romans 
chapter 3, where he brings Old Testament passages out, and he 
confirms the reality that all men everywhere are under sin. That is the problem that we all 
bear, and the text assumes that. He who covers his sins will not 
prosper. So the first assumption is that 
we do sin. The second assumption is that 
we will attempt to cover that sin. And when we appreciate what 
this text is holding forth, we will recognize that God does 
cover sin, and that is a much better way to progress than for 
us to cover our sin. Now, the covering in view means 
to try to hide or to conceal. Now, there are instances where 
covering sin is a good thing. In fact, turn to Proverbs chapter 
10. Proverbs chapter 10 at verse 12, hatred stirs up strife, but 
love covers all sins. You see here, we are told that 
it's a virtue for us to cover the sins of others. In other 
words, don't always try to exact a pound of flesh, but if you 
are able, let love cover it. Do not try and get everybody 
always to repent of everything they've ever done. We are certainly 
to call out our brethren when they sin in a particularly grievous 
way, or when they sin with a continual pattern of sin. But for the garden 
variety, day in, day out, if all we ever do is try to get 
people to deal with their sin, we would have no time for anything 
else. Imagine a married couple who 
didn't practice covering one another's sins. From morning 
till night, they would be engaged in a checklist, and they would 
be engaged in calling each other out and calling each other to 
account. And then again in Proverbs 17, 
a similar teaching, where covering sin is okay. Proverbs chapter 
17 at verse 9. Notice, he who covers a transgression 
seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends. So 
those instances are legitimate for us to cover the sins of others. But in our text, in Proverbs 
28, 13, he who covers his sins. He who tries to hide his sins. He who tries to conceal his sins. He who tries to deal with his 
sins in a non-God-authorized way. Now, there are several biblical 
examples of persons who did this very thing. In the first instance, 
you have the case of Adam and Eve. You can turn to Genesis 
chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3, just to see 
some biblical examples of those who did indeed try to cover their 
own sin. Genesis chapter 3 at verse 7, 
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that 
they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made 
themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the 
Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam 
and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God 
among the trees of the garden. You see, they tried to cover 
their own sin. We have the instance of Achan 
in Joshua chapter 7. Joshua chapter 7, remember the 
children of Israel are going out to battle at Ai. And instead 
of gaining the easy victory at Ai, they lose. They are decimated. And then God Almighty tells Joshua 
the nature of the problem. One of them, one among them had 
indeed sinned. And instead of dealing with his 
sin, instead of confessing his sin, Achan hid his sin. When 
he is called to account and when he does confess, Achan answers 
in Joshua 7, 20, Indeed, I have sinned against the Lord God of 
Israel, and this is what I have done. When I saw among the spoils 
a beautiful Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver and a wedge 
of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them and took them, 
and there they are hidden in the earth in the midst of my 
tent with the silver under it. We have the instance of Saul, 
King Saul, in 1 Samuel chapter 15. Here he covers his sin by 
stating that he himself didn't even sin, that he wasn't a participant 
in this particular sin. He covers it by flat-out denying 
his part in the rebellion. 1 Samuel 15, 15. And Saul said, 
they have brought them from the Amalekites. For the people spared 
the best of the sheep and the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord 
your God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Remember that 
God told Saul to go in and utterly destroy the Amalekites. to utterly 
destroy Agag, to not take any of their property, to not take 
any of their livestock, to not harbor for themselves any of 
the plunder from the Amalekites. And so Saul comes back to Samuel 
and reports mission accomplished. And Samuel says, if mission is 
accomplished, why then do I hear the bleeding of the sheep in 
my ears and the lowing of the ox in which I hear? In other 
words, Saul If you are true, Saul, if you did decimate the 
Amalekites, then why am I hearing sheep and why am I hearing oxen? 
Part of the stipulation was, is that you do not take such 
things. So Saul says, they, the people. Notice in verse 21, but 
the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the 
things, which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice 
to the Lord your God in Gilgal. And then, of course, we have 
the case of David. You can turn to 2 Samuel chapter 
11. 2 Samuel chapter 11. You remember that particular 
situation, a most grievous situation, and one in which we now understand 
why he rejoices such in Psalm 32. David was supposed to go 
out to battle. It was the season for such things. But David stayed behind. And 
David looked from his roof and saw Bathsheba bathing. And then 
David took her, David went into her, and then she was found to 
be with child. So instead of dealing with his 
sin, instead of confessing his transgression, he sought to cover 
it. And one of the ways that men 
cover sin is by multiplying sin. And in that particular instance, 
he adds murder to adultery in an attempt to cover that particular 
sin. We have the New Testament situation 
with reference to Ananias and Sapphira. Again, Peter calls 
upon them and asks them specifically, and they lie to the Holy Spirit, 
so the Lord God strikes them down. So those are some biblical 
examples just to show or highlight that this isn't sort of a hypothetical. Proverbs 28.13 isn't dealing 
in the realm of theory. It's not something out there, 
but rather it's something right in here, and I would probably 
imagine that it's something happening right in here as well. This is 
the nature of man, to make fig leaves, to try to hide himself 
among the trees that the Lord God had made, to try and cover 
his folly by burying it under his tent, or by flat-out denial 
the way that Saul does with reference to Samuel. Now, there are several 
means employed by which persons do this. Now, there's probably 
a whole lot more. These are just some things that I'll submit. 
In other words, how do men try and cover their own sin? First 
of all, they deny that they've even sinned. That's what Saul 
does. Saul says, I did everything I 
was supposed to do. Mission accomplished. Amalekites 
destroyed. It was the people. It was the 
people. It was the people. He denies any participation in 
the sin for himself. Let me just tell you, if that's 
your posture, if that's your attitude, there is no prosperity 
for you. God knows you a whole lot better 
than you know yourself. God knows sins that you have 
committed that you have long forgotten. And the way to deal 
with God is not by denying sin. Proverbs 30 at verse 20 tells 
us this is the way of an adulterous woman. She eats and wipes her 
mouth and says, I have done no wickedness. Oh, yes, you have. You're an adulterous woman. Bridges 
says that he would cover it, if possible, from himself, putting 
it out of mind, banishing all serious thoughts, stifling conviction, 
and then trying to persuade himself that he is happy. I think that's 
one of the means by which man tries to cover his own sin. A 
second means is to minimize the gravity of sin. And I think that 
you hear this with language today. Adultery isn't adultery, it's 
playing around. Lying isn't lying, it's just 
a little white lie. We often minimize the effects 
of our sin or we minimize the presence of our sins by the use 
of such language. As well, rationalization. I'm not as bad as him. What I 
do doesn't really or seriously affect anybody else. I can stop 
any time that I want. What is this but to try and cover 
sin? As we learn from Proverbs 28, 
13, you will not prosper if this is your tack. You will not gain. You will not go forward. There 
will be no blessing in your future if you deny that you've committed 
sin, if you minimize the gravity of sin, or thirdly, if you attempt 
to shift the blame for your sin. Now, this works very well in 
North America because we're being given a steady diet of a victim 
mentality. And it works well for sinners 
because if they can shift the blame, believe you me, they will. What does Adam do when God comes 
to him in the garden? He shifts the blame. Now, we 
all know that Adam shifts the blame to Eve, but even before 
he shifts the blame to Eve, he shifts the blame to God. He says, 
the woman whom you gave to me. What might the inference be? 
God, if you hadn't have put that woman in my life, then we wouldn't 
be in this trouble. God, if it were just me and the 
animals, I wouldn't have rebelled against you. And then, of course, 
he throws her right under the bus, not protecting, not exercising 
headship, not showing responsible leadership, not being Christ-like 
to his wife. He throws her right under the 
bus. The woman whom you gave me, she 
is the one that brought this calamity on. That's another means 
by which you will never prosper. Don't shift blame. You've got 
a world of evil in your own heart. You don't need any help. You 
don't need any encouragement. You don't need any instigation. 
It is all present. Instead of denying it, instead 
of minimizing it, instead of shifting the blame, then own 
it, as our text will go on to specify. But the shifting of 
blame also happened in the case of Aaron. Aaron blames the people, 
and then he blames chance. In fact, turn there to Exodus 
32, just to see the lengths that persons will go to to try and 
weasel out of their sin. Exodus chapter 32. You remember 
the scene? Moses is up with God. God tells 
him that they are down there engaged in sin and wretchedness 
and wickedness. Just by way of reminder, in chapter 
32, it was Aaron's instigation, according to verse 2, wherein 
they brought the various items of gold, and he fashioned a calf. Notice in 32 too, and Aaron said 
to them, break off the golden earrings which are in the ears 
of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them 
to me. So all the people broke off the golden earrings which 
were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received 
the gold from their hand and he fashioned it with an engraving 
tool and made a molded calf. Then they said, this is your 
God, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt. Please 
don't miss the irony of the situation. Moses is receiving the law. He's engaged in covenant-making 
with God Most High. The people have sworn fidelity 
to Yahweh in Exodus 24. They ratify the covenant with 
this statement, all that the Lord has commanded we shall do. We get all the way to chapter 
32, and they're dancing before this golden calf, ascribing to 
it the powers of having brought them out of the land of Egypt. 
Now, notice in verse 21, Moses said to Aaron, What did this 
people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them? 
So Aaron said, Do not let the anger of my Lord become hot. 
You know the people that they are set on evil. It's not my fault. It's their 
fault. I didn't create this problem, 
they did. Now, I'm not minimizing the participation 
of the people. I'm not minimizing the participation 
of this group of people that wanted something tangible that 
they could sink their spiritual teeth in so that they could worship. But Aaron shifts the blame. You know the people that they 
are set on evil. For they said to me, make us 
gods that shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who 
brought us or brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not 
know what has become of him. And I said to them, whoever has 
any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it to me and I cast 
it into the fire and this calf came out. It's almost like he's 
shocked. It's almost like he can't believe 
it. It should be on, you know, the Guinness Book of World Records. 
It's never been the case that we chuck a lump of gold into 
some smelting pot and out comes a calf. He is shifting blame. Brethren, what Solomon is dealing 
with in Proverbs 28, 13 is a reality. This is typical of man. The case of Saul, we already 
saw it in 1 Samuel 15. He blamed the people. Now again, 
I don't want to minimize the participation of the people, 
but he was the king of Israel. He was the man. It was his word 
that was definitive, and when he blames the people, he shows 
cowardice, and he shows this attempt to blame shift. Another 
means by which persons do this is to cover their sins by good 
deeds. Now, this is pretty diabolical, 
but you understand the logic. Well, I know I'm a wretch, and 
I know I do many bad things, but I'll try and cover it up 
by doing these many good things. Remember Luke chapter 18? Thank 
you, God, that I'm not like other men. I fast, I tithe, and I do 
this for the glory of God. No, the man was corrupt, the 
man was self-righteous, the man was condemned, the man went to 
his house unjustified. Do you see this as well in the 
book of Proverbs? Notice in Proverbs 7, there's 
a strict admonition here for our young men to guard their 
hearts, to guard their ways with reference to the strange woman. And here specifically, notice 
what this woman does. In Proverbs chapter 7 at verse 
14, I have peace offerings with me. Today I have paid my vows, 
so I came out to meet you diligently to seek your face, and I have 
found you. I have spread my bed with tapestry, 
colored coverings of Egyptian linen. I have perfumed my bed 
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of 
love until morning. Let us delight ourselves with 
love, for my husband is not at home. He has gone on a long journey. 
He has taken a bag of money with him and will come home on the 
appointed day." So let's get this straight. She goes to the 
temple earlier in the day. She has peace offerings. She 
paid her vows. What better way to celebrate 
the day of worship than to commit adultery with some young man? You see, this particular woman 
wants to cover her sin. And then notice in the prophet 
Micah. Micah chapter 6. Probably one of the most familiar 
Old Testament verses is Micah 6.8. But we need to remember 
the context in which Micah 6.8 finds itself. Of course, Micah 
6.8 says, He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what does the 
Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to 
walk humbly with your God. This wasn't new. This wasn't 
some brand new revelatory word from the mouth of Yahweh to Israel 
at this particular time. This had always been intact. This had always been the way. 
This was specified in the book of Deuteronomy. all the way back 
in Deuteronomy chapter 10. It's also seen in Proverbs. It's 
seen in the prophets Hosea. It's seen in Zechariah. It's 
seen in Jesus' words of indictment to the Pharisees and the religious 
leaders in Matthew 23, 23. You tithe the mint and the anise 
and the cumin, but you've neglected the weightier matters of the 
law, justice, mercy, and faith. That was always the stipulation 
for Israel in terms of their life before God. But notice in 
Micah 6.6, with what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself 
before the high God? Shall I come before him with 
burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be 
pleased with thousands of rams, 10,000 rivers of oil? Shall I 
give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the 
sin of my soul? Now, they are complaining to 
God. They're not happy that the prophet 
Micah is upbraiding them for their sin and lawlessness. That's 
why God said, you've always known what the issue is, but look at 
the default mechanism inherent in man. How do I deal with my 
transgression? Do I multiply sacrifice? Do I multiply religious observance? Do I multiply church attendance? 
Will all these things minimize the gravity of sin? You see, 
this is another means by which men attempt to cover sin. And then we see the abandonment 
of the thought of sin altogether. Now, I don't doubt that we can 
overdo it when it comes to sin. Sometimes wonder if that's one 
of the things I'm guilty of, is overdoing it with reference 
to sin. There is a method to the madness. 
I think that when we understand what sin is, we ought to appreciate 
all the more who Jesus is. I think that when we see Christ 
with the backdrop of our depravity and his victory over that in 
the redemption of his people, it ought to cause us to sing 
with joy, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a 
wretch like me. The idea is that we can sometimes 
press our sinners with their sin. And sometimes people get 
exasperated. They no longer even think of 
sin. They get to the point where I 
can't hear another word about sin. Scripture addresses this 
problem in Hebrews 6 and 10, not specifically with reference 
to this point, the idea of apostasy. It's another means by which persons 
attempt to cover their sin. They don't want the oppressiveness 
of the Christian religion, so they throw off all thoughts of 
God Almighty. So, back to our text. We have 
seen the assumptions in the text, biblical examples of the text, 
the means employed by which men cover sin. Note the cursed result 
in Proverbs 28, 13. It says, he who covers his sins 
will not prosper. He who covers his sins will not 
prosper. Now, we all want to prosper. 
We all want to get ahead. We all want to move forward. 
That's why we get educated. That's why we apply for jobs. That's why we do what we do. 
Because we are attempting, by the grace of God, to prosper. Now, when Solomon says this, 
with reference to the one who covers his sin, what ought we 
to make of it? Well, I would suggest he will 
not prosper in this age. In other words, in the world 
of man, he will not prosper. Notice in Proverbs 13, 15. Proverbs 
13, 15. I think this is an overarching 
description of the life of the unbeliever. And I think it's 
very important that you young people get this fact down. Proverbs 13, verse 15. Good understanding gains favor, 
but the way of the unfaithful is hard. You know, sometimes 
you see people that are engaged in a particular activity and 
say, wow, doesn't that look good? Doesn't that look fun? Doesn't 
that look wonderful? No fetters, no bonds, all freedom, 
all liberty. The way of the unfaithful is 
hard. This is not an easy life when 
you are running and hiding from God. Those who cover their sins 
will not prosper in this age. Our Lord Jesus said it this way, 
most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave 
of sin. Isn't that pretty much the trajectory 
with reference to sin? It's never content with just 
a little bit of your attention and money. It's not content with 
just a little bit of your energy. Sin is a harsh taskmaster. Sin wants to be fed. Sin wants 
to be indulged. Sin wants to drive the chariot, 
sin wants to call the shots, and Jesus says that whoever commits 
sin is a slave of sin. Again, you see somebody, they 
look rich, they look successful, they look like there's no pangs 
in their lives, there's no difficulty, there's no hardship whatsoever. Never forget, the way of the 
unfaithful is hard, and whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 
But as well, he will not prosper in the age to come. He will not 
prosper in the age to come. If you cover your sins now, if 
you hide, if you deceive, if you minimize the gravity of it, 
if you try to shift the blame, if you don't own it, if you don't 
follow Proverbs 28, 13b, then you will not prosper in the age 
to come. Our Lord Jesus put it this way 
in Matthew chapter 10 at verse 28. And do not fear those who 
kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear him 
who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. And then of 
course Revelation 21 verse 8, you can turn there. Revelation 
chapter 21 verse 8 gives us an identification of those in the 
lake of fire. And in Revelation 21.8 we read, 
but the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually 
immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their 
part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which 
is the second death. I think persons stumble at that 
first identifier, cowardly. You mean, God's going to send 
me to hell if I'm afraid of spiders? God's going to send me to hell 
if I'm afraid of snakes? God's going to send me to hell 
if I'm afraid of the dark? No, He's going to send you to 
hell if you're a coward with reference to Jesus Christ. You 
see, one of the emphases repeatedly in Revelation 2 and 3, with reference 
to the seven churches in Asia Minor, is that they overcome. 
In other words, they've made a profession of faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ. There is pressure calling them 
to renounce that commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, and some 
would ultimately be cowards. Some would ultimately relinquish 
their grip upon the Lord of glory, evidencing they never had a grip 
on the Lord of glory. But that's who the cowardly are, 
those who did not overcome, those who did not persevere, those 
who were afraid to own the Lord Jesus Christ in this life. So 
you see, the end, the wicked, is no prosperity, both in this 
age and the age which is to come. So there's the bad news, and 
it's some pretty bad news, isn't it? That's the problem addressed. 
Let's look secondly at the solution provided. Proverbs 28.13b, but 
whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. Now, when 
Solomon tells us, confess, he is not speaking about Roman Catholicism. He's not speaking of a confessional 
booth where you go in and you tell the priest, bless me, Father, 
for I have sinned. It's been six months since my 
last confession, and here's my litany of sins. And then he says, 
okay, as your punishment, I'm sorry, as your penance, go out 
and pray. That's not what Solomon has in mind. Confession here, 
this specific language is utilized in other places in the Bible. 
Waltke says in six passages it means confess sins. More specifically, 
in these passages, it means give God public praise and glory by 
acknowledging one's need of His forgiveness and deliverance from 
sin. This entails praising God for 
His greatness, i.e., one cannot hide from Him. as well his justice, 
i.e., he has the right to punish the transgressor, and his grace, 
i.e., he delivers, or rather, he forgives and delivers. Now, when Solomon says, whoever 
confesses, he is speaking of siding with God. He is speaking 
of those who understand the nature of their problem. And instead 
of trying to deny that it exists, instead of trying to minimize 
the gravity or shift the blame, they get on God's side and they 
say, thou art the man. In other words, it is to side 
with God and confess that He is right in terms of His indictment 
of one. It's receiving Nathan's, thou 
art the man, and embracing it, and it also involves casting 
oneself upon the mercy of God in and through the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Bridges says, with reference to confession, God needs not 
confession for His own information, but He demands it for our good. 
It brings no claim on his mercy, but it is a means for the reception 
of it. Christ has fully satisfied the 
claims of divine justice. And John Gill adds, and though 
it is known unto him, yet he requires an acknowledgement of 
it, which should be done from the heart with an abhorrence 
of the sin and in the faith of Christ as a sacrifice for it. In other words, Solomon is preaching 
Christ in Proverbs 28, 13b. We've got the problem of the 
one who covers his sins. He will not prosper, but whoever 
confesses and forsakes will find mercy. This was David's experience. You can turn to 2 Samuel chapter 
11. I'm sorry, 2 Samuel chapter 12. 2 Samuel chapter 12, after 
the prophet Nathan rebukes him, David then does this in verse 
13. David said to Nathan, I have 
sinned against the Lord. Now the psalm that we read at 
the outset of worship, Psalm 32, indicates David's guilt prior 
to his sin. He wasn't living as a prosperous 
man. He was living as a pained man. You see, that's one of the reasons 
why we ought to be slow to judge what we believe is the prosperity 
of others. We don't know what's happening 
in their lives. know the difficulties that their 
lives may be fraught with. We don't know the dissatisfaction 
or the lack of satisfaction that no contact with God brings upon 
them. And David certainly got away 
with it for a time. It wasn't immediately found out 
that David had committed adultery and had committed murder. In 
other words, it was, at least by all intents and appearances, 
the perfect crime. But Yahweh saw it. The thing 
that David did. Last statement in 2 Samuel chapter 
11. The thing that David did displeased 
the Lord. The Lord is essentially absent 
from 2 Samuel 11, except that last statement. but the thing 
that David had done displeased the Lord." So Psalm 32 at the 
very beginning highlights or indicates what David's life was 
like or his soul was like prior to this forgiveness, Psalm 38 
as well. But notice, David specifically 
says, I have sinned against the Lord. Now, I think at times we 
look at a passage like this and we say, oh, there's two problems 
here. First of all, David got caught. 
We don't typically accept people's repentance if they get caught, 
do we? Somebody gets caught, well, of 
course they confess to that, because they got caught. We don't 
see it as the mercy of God that they got caught so that they 
would confess their sins. We say, wait a minute, he got 
caught. That invalidates the confession. I've heard this before, 
brethren. Well, you know, he only confessed 
it because he got caught. He got found out. Well, why can't 
that be legitimate confession? Why can't that be legitimate 
repentance? Why can't that be an exercise of legitimate faith? Praise God Almighty that He catches 
people. Praise God Almighty that He exposes 
people. And praise God Almighty that 
there is repentance even in a situation like that. So that's one of the 
problems I've perceived over the years. Persons say, well, 
I don't think that guy is serious because he only confessed because 
he only got caught. Well, you know, David confessed 
because he got caught. But notice how brief his statement, 
I have sinned against the Lord. If you've read 2 Samuel 11 and 
12, and you're not thinking gospel E, you might say, well, you know, 
he's getting off pretty easy. I mean, come on, David, got to 
do something. Don't you have to pound your 
breast? I mean, at least that publican in Luke chapter 18, 
he didn't look up to heaven. At least he pounded his breast. 
He did something. There was some sort of outward 
humility involved. David, all you're saying is I 
have sinned against the Lord. It's almost like that's not good 
enough. You gotta do it while drinking some tonic or potion 
that is really nasty and bad for you. Or you gotta do it while 
whipping yourself on the back with a whip. You gotta do it 
in a real Roman Catholic way. We gotta know you mean business. 
You've got to grovel. You have got to grovel in the 
sand before this repentance is legit or before the Lord God 
Most High grants forgiveness. David said, I have sinned against 
the Lord. There is a German translation 
of the Bible. Apparently, it's eight volumes. 
It was done in the 1700s, and it had extensive commentary. It was a study Bible. Some of 
you brothers have that Reformed Reformation study Bible. It's 
about that thick. If you carried the Burlberg, 
you'd have a tough time bringing it to church. I mean, you got 
eight volumes slapped over your shoulder, and trying to find 
references was probably very difficult. But I love the observation 
in the Burlberg concerning the simplicity of David's confession. 
I think this nails it. The words are very few, just 
as in the case of the publican in the Gospel of Luke. But that 
is a good sign of a thoroughly broken spirit. There is no excuse. Notice, I have sinned against 
the Lord, but I wouldn't have if Bathsheba hadn't have been 
naked in plain view. I think if you appreciate what 
David's saying here, you'll appreciate what David's saying here. There 
is no excuse, no cloaking. I have sinned against the Lord, 
but you know, Lord, you've made me like this. I'm an alpha male. I've got high appetite. I'm a 
leader. I'm a mover. I'm a shaker. Certainly, 
you have to understand, a man like me comes with certain intrinsic 
needs. He doesn't do that. He says, 
I have sinned against Yahweh. He goes on to say, no palliation 
of the sin. There is no searching for a loophole, 
no pretext put forward, no human weakness pleaded. He acknowledges 
his guilt openly, candidly, and without prevarication. That means 
to speak or act in an evasive way. In other words, what David 
says certainly captures the gravity of the moment. I have sinned 
against the Lord. So when we come by the grace 
of God with reference to confession, this is not only blurting out 
the particular sins that we have done against a holy God, but 
it's an expression of faith. And we know for sure that it's 
an expression of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Forgiveness 
is received because Christ has fully satisfied the claims of 
divine justice, and because confession was made in the faith of Christ 
as a sacrifice for it. You see, what Solomon is teaching 
is as much Pauline as Paul's epistle to the Romans. Whoever 
confesses it, whoever lays their hand on the surety's head, whoever 
goes to the Lord Jesus Christ, whoever believes on Him. So you 
see, he who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses 
and forsakes them will find mercy. There is mercy to be had in our 
Lord Jesus. That's the reason we eat this 
bread and we drink this cup tonight. We are here ultimately because 
of God's mercy. I'm going to say in just a moment 
that they prosper in this age and in the age to come. Do you 
realize that the common theme that all of us will have on that 
day when we enter into heaven is that we are all objects not 
of good works, not of good performance, but objects of God's mercy. You 
ever think that when you get to heaven, you're going to see 
people there that may surprise you? Or do you ever think that 
people there are going to be surprised that you're there? 
What's the common theme for all of God's people on that side? 
We're objects of mercy. We're not here because we did 
better. We're not here because we tried harder. We're not here 
for any other reason than what Solomon says in Proverbs 28, 
13. Whoever confesses and forsakes will find mercy. Now notice, it's not just confession, 
but he has forsaken. This is faith and repentance. Now we know that repentance is 
a gift given by God, as is faith. In other words, both faith and 
repentance, the means by which we close with Christ, what is 
called conversion, are both gifts given to us by a gracious God. But they're both gifts given 
to us that come intertwined. In other words, there's no genuine 
faith without forsaking. There's no forsaking without 
genuine faith. These are two sides of the same 
coin. It's not the case that you have 
an unrepentant believing sinner. It's not the case that you have 
an unbelieving repentant sinner. These two things are present 
in the heart of God's people, faith and repentance. You see 
this all throughout the book of Acts. Believe, repent. Those 
things are used at times interchangeably. And so Solomon sets this forth, 
whoever confesses and forsakes. This saving repentance, our confession 
of faith says, is an evangelical grace. And we ought to see the 
close connection between the two. For the most simple, Illustration 
of faith and repentance. It's as if a young man is going 
to marry a woman. He is marrying the woman, which 
is an expression of his faith. Repentance is that he is not 
bringing his girlfriend to the altar with him. He's not bringing 
his computer filled with porn to the altar with him. He leaves 
the one and he joins with the other. That's what faith and 
repentance are. F.F. Bruce calls repentance a 
spiritual about-face. For those former military, they 
understand what an about-face is. About-face, arch, and then 
you make a complete turn on a dime and go the opposite way. That's 
what repentance is. That's what accompanies saving 
faith. That's what Solomon is speaking about. whoever confesses 
and forsakes repentance as defined by the Westminster Shorter Catechism, 
whereby a sinner, out of the true sense of his sin and apprehension 
of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of 
his sin, turn from it unto God with full purpose of and endeavor 
after new obedience." Bridges says, penitent faith confesses 
in the act of laying the hand upon the great sacrifice and 
hence draws strength of purpose to forsake all that has been 
here confessed. For while the hypocrite confesses 
without forsaking, the hearty forsaking is here the best proof 
of the sincere confessing. Beautiful. These things go hand 
in hand. You don't have one without the 
other. Solomon is describing in Proverbs 28, 13b, what Christian 
theologians call conversion. Faith in Christ and repentance 
unto life. Notice, whoever confesses and 
forsakes them will have mercy. So the contrast in the former 
part is if you do this, you will not prosper. The contrast here 
is if by God's grace you confess and forsake, you will find mercy. 
Isn't that good news? Isn't it wonderful to be able 
to tell sinners that if you confess your sins, you forsake your sins, 
you'll find mercy? Not a might, a perhaps, a maybe. Our God is a God of mercy. Our God delights in showing mercy. Our God receives the confessing, 
forsaking sinner. The ability to identify with 
the various scripture passages, Psalm 130, "...there is forgiveness 
with thee that thou mayest be feared." The beauty of Romans 
8, verse 1, "...there is therefore now no condemnation for those 
who are in Christ Jesus." The glory of being able to sing, 
no condemnation, now I dread. Jesus with all in Him is mine. Alive in Him my living head and 
clothed in righteousness divine. Bold I approach the eternal throne 
and claim the crown through Christ my own. So that mercy is a present 
benefit. Isn't it a blessing? People of 
God, as we eat this bread, we drink this cup, we remember the 
doing and the dying of the Lord Jesus, and it underscores to 
us what God's mercy looks like. We have not come to this place 
because of our own good deeds. We have come to this place because 
of God's grace and mercy, and certainly mercy enjoyed in the 
age to come. It's a blessed thing to consider 
that when we die, we enter into the presence of God Almighty. 
Well, brethren, I think that these are some blessed truths 
that we ought to ponder frequently, not just at the Lord's Supper. 
In terms of the particular problem addressed, he who covers his 
sins will not prosper. I want to encourage all of us 
to use God's law. God's law is a great way to sort 
of expose those darkened recesses in our hearts. You know, Romans 
3.20 says that, you know, by the deeds of the law, no flesh 
will be justified in the sight of God, for by the law is the 
knowledge of sin. I think for both believer and 
unbeliever, we ought to examine our own hearts with God's law 
and ask the question, Am I covering sin? As well, in terms of the 
solution given, with reference to believers, the passage describes 
our dealings with God, but it also deals with our dealings 
with men. Imagine if we applied this particular 
passage in our marriage situations, in the parent-child situation, 
in the brother-to-brother situation in the context of the church, 
the sister-to-sister relation in the context of the church. 
Imagine if instead of getting all defensive and all bent out 
of shape and at the thought or suggestion that we could have 
ever sinned, instead of trying to cover it that way, we said, 
you're right, please forgive me. We'd find mercy. You see, 
bloodbots extend mercy. It's just part of what we do, 
right? We forgive even as God in Christ 
forgave us. This is Paul's mandate, Ephesians 
5. The people of God bought by the 
blood of Jesus Christ are a people that are willing to extend mercy. We ought to apply this in our 
interpersonal relationships. We ought not to think it an amazing 
thing that somebody would ever come to us and say, I think you 
sinned against me. Brethren, if you know your own 
hearts correctly, you'll wonder why that doesn't happen 24 hours 
a day. If you know your own hearts rightly, you'll wonder why more 
people aren't coming to you to call you out on your sin. You're 
probably shocked that nobody's pointed out my flaws this week. 
Brethren, this is the nature of the problem. So we ought to 
make the application horizontally. John Gill says on believers reproved 
by fellow Christians, he says, he should not cover it. That 
is, he should own it. For not to own and acknowledge 
it is to cover it. He should not deny it, which 
is to cover it with a lie, and is adding sin to sin. Nor should 
he justify it as if he had done a right thing, not extenuate 
or excuse it or impute it to others that drew him into it." 
In other words, don't be the guy we've already described who 
busies himself at covering our sins. If your wife comes to you 
and says, honey, you've done such and such, don't try to blame 
her. Don't throw her under the bus 
for your sin. Don't try to minimize the gravity 
of it. Don't try to deny it. Don't try to pretend it was somebody 
else. Own it. Confess it. Forsake it. And what will happen? Your wife, 
in the kindness of God, will extend mercy to you. But certainly 
it does apply with reference to our relationship to God. And 
here I want to read an extended quote from Bridges. Just listen 
to what Bridges says here. He says, the moment sin is seen 
to be sin, Let it be laid on the surety's head." Man, I love 
that. The moment sin is seen to be 
sin, let it be laid on the surety's head. Every moment of unconfessed 
sin adds to its burden and guilt. The thought of a nature estranged 
from God, a heart full of corruption, sins of youth and age, before 
and after conversion, against light and conviction, knowledge 
and love, the sins of our very confessions, their defilement, 
coldness, and too often self-righteous tendency, all supply abundant 
material for abasing acknowledgment. Plead the greatness, not the 
smallness, of our sin. Never deem any sin so trifling 
as not to need the immediate application of the blood of atonement. Beautiful. And for unbelievers, 
this is true for you. You cover your sin, you will 
not prosper. You confess and forsake your 
sin, and you'll find mercy. Please go to God through Jesus 
Christ and you will have mercy. You will know the joy spoken 
of by David in Psalm 32 that we read at the outset of worship. The end of the Psalm, David has 
rehearsed the goodness and the kindness of God in having dealt 
with his sin. He says in 3210, many sorrows 
shall be to the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy 
shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, 
you righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. Look at David's language. Many 
sorrows shall be to the wicked. He who covers his sins will not 
prosper. Whoever confesses and forsakes 
will find mercy. Notice, but he who trusts in 
the Lord, mercy shall surround him. We are surrounded by the 
mercy of God. The way of access to that mercy 
of God is to lay your hand upon the surety's head in faith and 
find that God most high is most gracious, he is most loving, 
he is most merciful, and he does take sin and cast it into the 
depths of the sea. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word. We thank you for Proverbs 28, 
13, for the gospel as proclaimed by Solomon. and how we thank you for our 
Lord Jesus Christ, that object of our confession, that one upon 
whom our sins are laid, how we thank you for Him, how we thank 
you that He is our surety, how we thank you that He indeed wrought 
out a perfect atonement, for the sins of his people. May we 
rejoice now. As David says in Psalm 32, may 
we truly shout for joy at the thought of a God who has forgiven 
us of all of our sins, of all of our iniquities, and all our 
transgressions. And we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.