Hebrews 4:12-14 Hidden Sin, Really?

Hebrews 4:12-14  “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.   Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (NASB)

So, I was in Boise this week and stayed at a hotel downtown where the company had arranged the meeting that I came to attend.  This particular hotel chain is one that I frequent a lot although I had never been to this particular property.  My experience is that the rooms are always clean and comfortable and I can always count on a comfortable bed.  I’ll start by saying my overall experience was different this time.

I always have road warrior travel stories.  This one started in near tragedy when the shuttle driver handed me the other guy's bag at the second to last stop upon arrival Monday night.  In the darkness I didn’t notice, just toted it in and started to check in.  Oddly when I let go of the bag to reach for my wallet it flopped over – NOT MY BAG.  Well, that’s just how this visit went with the TV remote not working, the key reader to the outside door not working and etc.

Well after the first day of meetings I returned to my hotel room briefly to drop my computer bag and rejoin the group for dinner.  When I walked in, I saw something that didn’t register at first.  Something odd about my suitcase; something out of place.  When I looked purposely at it I saw the maid had left her rubber gloves behind.  Not only left them behind in my room, she left them behind IN MY SUITCASE!

Now, I don’t really know the ins and outs of housekeeping down to the last detail.  I couldn’t make a hotel bed just the way they do and I don’t have an endless supply of those tiny mints.  But I’m pretty sure the first page of the housekeeping manual says – DON”T PUT YOUR DIRTY RUBBER GLOVES IN THE GUEST'S SUITCASE!

So, she knew what she was doing was wrong – she just thought she would get away with it.  You know, she worked all alone in that room with her cart strategically placed so no one could follow her in.  What she did in there was completely HIDDEN!  Or was it?

You see, as benign as this little housekeeping incident seems it is sinful behavior; it is sin.  And it is sin that I’m quite certain the maid had not intended to reveal.  You know, sometimes there are sinful behaviors that people do flagrantly – IN YOUR FACE sins.  The parades in San Francisco come to mind as examples.  It would be hard to argue that anyone involved in some of that outlandish behavior regardless of their misguided beliefs could think what they do in some of those parades is upright and wholesome behavior.  That’s IN YOUR FACE sin.  The maid’s actions were not, she committed her deed in private.

The problem with hidden sin is that it can sometimes fool the perpetrator into living a double life; putting on the sparkling image in public but knowing secretly of their dark and shameful behavior.  Sin is that way – it eats at us – it ultimately will KILL us.  That is if it is not dealt with.

Scripture tells us of the remedy.  As believers the Word of God – Scripture itself is referenced in the passage quoted today.  “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  So, as Christians the Word of God is at work in our lives as a spiritual scalpel.  It can actually cut through with surgical precision to “Judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  That precision work of rooting out the evil that continually creeps into our lives because of our sin nature is a preservative surgery we need on a continual basis as believers.  We’re all sinners – all of our hearts are darkened by that stain of sin that fell upon our kind since the fall of man.

But, I’ll just HIDE!  My sin is mine alone!   

Baloney!!!

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”  Scripture is pretty clear here – THERE IS NO HIDING!  You can’t get away from the black and white facts.  You may fool your fellow man.  You may even tidy up after yourself most of the time by picking up those gloves you left in the customer’s suitcase – but your sin is not hidden from “His sight”.  “All things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him.”  So, who are you fooling?  Yourself?  Your family?  Your friends?  Your fellow church goers?

Some years ago the elders went through study called, “Experiencing God” together.  It is an intensive study and I highly recommend it to anyone individually but especially to a small group.  That said, my own experience when it came time in the book to “Walk with God” was quite profound.  The instruction was to go someplace alone with no distractions and simply bare all before your creator.  It took me several days to figure out how and where to accomplish my “Walk with God”.  I finally did it on a lonely drive home one night.  It is something I will never forget as I finally understood standing before my God, “Naked and ashamed.”  I came to terms with the truth that was always there but finally was real to me – there are no secrets with God, there are NO HIDDEN SINS!  I shook in the reality of that moment and unexpectedly I am sobbing even now.

But, our God is good!  He doesn’t leave us alone in that state of weakness and vulnerability.  He’s been there, done that.  Read on in the passage, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.´  We can trust in Jesus because He has walked among us and experienced every temptation and worse and yet did NOT sin.  That’s a great thing because it gives us a Savior in whom we can confide, in whom we can trust.

And although previously unquoted I will close today with the end of the chapter which sums things up nicely, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:15-16 (NASB)  AMEN!