When our parents pass away most of us receive some kind of inheritance. There are six of us in my family. If I want to pass on the inheritance and let one of the others have it, I can do that. There is one inheritance I cannot refuse and say I don't want. We inherited our sin nature; Jesus died to get us out from under the penalty of sin. With a contrite spirit before God we can receive the inheritance of God.
The wise man's sin goes before him. They are wiped out never to be remembered again. We sin in what we don't do as easy as we sin in what we should not do. Paul says he died daily. He missed the mark, and with his daily confession his sin went up before him.
An Old Testament story that serves as an example is about Saul. Against the will of God the people were allowed to have a king; they chose Saul. God said He would bless Saul as long as Saul blessed Him. God gave specific orders that Saul destroy the Amaleks. Remember that we have specific instructions as well. We have the pattern of the ten commandments, but the new commandment is in our hearts, that is to love on another. When we do this all of the others fall into place.
God told Saul he was to completely destroy everyone–men, women and children–and their the animals. That seems harsh, but evil must be gotten rid of in its fullness. Saul did well BUT kept King Agag and some of the finest animals alive. The Lord told Samuel what Saul and done. He visited Saul and asked if he had fulfilled the will of God. He told him he had done so. Samuel asked him what was the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen all about. Saul answered by saying he was going to sacrifice them to the Lord. The primary thought here is that's not what God said to do. Obedience to God was better than the sacrifice. What a woeful witness was there in the sheep and oxen. Because of Saul's disobedience God rejected him. His sins were following him. How awful to meet the Lord with our sins behind us. There is no hope then. We cannot ask forgiveness of God when we stand before Him. Many have crossed the line and their sins will follow them. That's why people can die and curse God as they do so.
Satan tells us not to pay attention to or invite others to God. He says they don't want to hear it, but they are like we were. We were saved in our own fear. God always makes a way when we trust Him. It a world dark with sin it is time for us to get out and about telling the news of God.
Another story is the one of Jericho. God said the city was accursed. Rejoicing in their victory over the city, they took a small army to Ai saying surely the Lord would destroy this city as He had Jericho. They met with resistance and 36 of their men were killed. Upon the news Joshua prayed; he wanted to know why this happened. God said there was sin in the camp. Do you realize that God won't bless sin in our churches or our home life when sin follows behind us? Joshua set the people and by tribes they came before him. This followed by families in the tribes. When Achan came up, God told Joshua he was the problem. Achan confessed he had taken garments and gold and silver and hid them in his tent. The end of this story is that Achan's sin followed him and he and everything that belonged to him were destroyed. His woeful witness caused the death of 36 men of Israel. We must have our sins before us to avoid the judgment of God.
In the New Testamant, the book of Acts gives us another example. The church was just beginning and in an effort to get off to a good start the people sold their goods and put the money in a common pot for use of the church in spreading the gospel. Ananias and Sapphira sold their land and lied about how much they received so that they could keep some money for themselves. They didn't have to give it all, but they should not have lied about it. When he came before Peter, Ananias was asked why he lied against the Holy Ghost. Because of this he dropped dead on the spot. His wife Sapphira came in later and did the same thing her husband had done. She too died on the spot. This lie was a woeful sin. The LSD of this is that lust brought sin and sin brought death. God could not let the start of His church be with sin. You know the devil took this and threw it in God's face.
We need to make sure our sins go before us and not follow behind us. The judgment is no place to confess; God will not hear it. If there is anything in your life that needs to be taken care of, the only right thing to do is to put it before us by our confession now, else it will follow behind us.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 