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.