We’re all guilty of sin. This has been the case since the beginning of time and persists until this very day.  Sin pushes us off of the right path, it forces us to miss the mark and causes us to overstep our boundaries. We often end up unpurified and polluted as a result of our sin. However, despite all of us being guilty of sin, our responses to being convicted are ultimately what matters. Within this sermon, Pastor Musiba explains that our hearts’ posture once convicted ultimately shapes our future relationship with God.

When the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, it is God’s attempt at steering us in a different path. Without this conviction we would continue living a worldly life and continue to grow distant from God.  Within scripture, there are numerous examples of God’s servants being convicted of sin. Yet, it is their response that enabled their relationships to be repaired or forever damaged. 

Two such examples where God’s chosen people responded differently to sin were with Adam and Eve and King David.

The story of Adam and Eve and their response to sin is found in Genesis 3:1-13:  

“Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? …The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

 As shown in this scripture, Adam and Eve were given paradise to enjoy. Yet, they were also provided with a choice, a boundary which was not be crossed.  Despite this generosity from God, the serpent shrewdly deceived Adam and Eve into committing sin. Adam and Eve’s response was not to repent, but instead to hide from God and blame one another. This response is also very common today. Instead of repenting before God, we hide. Along the way, we stop praying, worshipping, and going to church, and when exposed, we lay the blame on others. Hiding does not solve the problem or remove the guilt.. Instead, it lures us into deeper pits of deception and confusion by the enemy. 

In a separate example, we also observe King David being convicted of sin, but having an entirely different response. Despite ascending to the heights of being King over Israel, King David was caught in a scandal comprised of adultery and murder. He used his influence as King to sleep with another man’s wife (Bethsheba) and covered up his guilt by conspiring to murder her husband and eventually impregnating her. Nonetheless, despite committing these egregious acts, David’s response was markedly different when convicted. 

This is most apparent in the book of Psalms vs. 32: 3-6: “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long… my transgressions to the Lord…and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

When David had nowhere to hide, he prayed a prayer of confession. This sets an example to all of us. We need to admit to our sins and pray a prayer of confession before God.  Unconfessed sin destroys our relationship and intimacy with God. We need to admit to our shortcomings and sinful nature in order to stand a chance at repairing our relationship with God. This is the correct posture to have when we commit sin and are compelled to react. If we tolerate our own sins, we should not waste our time praying unless it is a prayer of confession. Our God is a just God whose mercies are new every morning. When God forgives, He forgets. If we are to truly continue growing in relationship with God, we should never grow tired in going back to him,

1st John 1: 8-9: “8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”