Consider a few passages of Scripture that the Tiger Woods event should bring to our mind… for US to consider…
Numbers 32:23, “Be sure your sin will find you out…”
Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
Hosea 8:7, “They sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.”
Matthew 10:26, “Nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”
1 Corinthians 4:5, “The Lord… will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.”
Quote: The truest picture of who we are is what we do when we think no one is watching…
A Cautionary Tale (True Story): A friend of mine was pastor of a church and was having an affair with the pianist. He and his adulteress decided to meet in another city… in a state park… on a trail deep in the woods. They left in separate cars, at different times, and took alternate routes to the destination. At the same time, a family member of my friend had preached a revival in another state and was driving home. He decided to stop after several hours of driving to stretch his legs. At random he picked an exit… a road… a destination… and a trail upon which to walk. As he drove up to the trail entrance, he noticed his brother in law’s car. At just that moment my friend walked out of the woods, holding his adulteress’s hand, and met his brother in law face to face! Numbers 32:23… Galatians 6:7…
Question: Was that a cosmic coincidence… or God? Question: Could God do that in your life… my life… OUR life?
While I used the name of a man dealing with embarrassing revelations he thought would stay private to get your attention, my goal is for us all to learn a lesson for how we live. Consider a few men who… well… thought they wouldn’t get caught…
John F. Kennedy (Adultery), Richard M. Nixon (Lying), Martin Luther King (Adultery), Pete Rose (Gambling), Len Bias (drugs), Bill Clinton (Adultery), US (Insert here what we’ve kept hidden up to now)…
No one… NO ONE… thinks they will get caught. Which shows how deceptive sin in us is AND how few believe God’s Word (See above). It is when sin in us is revealed and how we respond that will expose whether our sin is worldly or godly. It seems there are stages we go through when our sin is exposed. Stage 1: I didn’t do anything… Stage 2: I did something, but my private life is separate from my private life… Stage 3: I did it, but… Stage 4: I’m sorry (I got caught)… Stage 5: Sorrow…
It is the last one I want to consider for a moment. In Scripture there are two kinds of sorrow over sin: Godly Sorrow and Worldly Sorrow (Click here). Not long back I posted about how to know if/when sorrow is genuine.
Worldly Sorrow is motivated by self preservation… damage control… concern for self… and an attempt to manage the consequences.
Godly Sorrow is consumed with how the conduct reflects upon God… how it has wounded others… and is willing to do whatever it takes to make things right. Godly sorrow will always say: I did it… there’s no excuse… I’ll do whatever is required of me… I accept whatever penalty comes my way.
In response to Tiger’s own words (Click here) I would counsel surrendering to Christ…
Deuteronomy 30:19-20, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the LORD your God, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
Romans 10:9-10, If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.