My youngest son hunts bugs. He’s always looking to uncover or seek out a new discovery. He refers to our outdoor playhouse as “The Spider House” because of all of his 8-legged finds there. When the bugs would rather hide, stay tucked away, go unnoticed and undisturbed he pulls them out in the open. In a way this made me think of the Holy Spirit’s work with our sin. When we are saved, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us as a seal and guarantee for what we have secured through Christ but also as a source of help to us on the path of sanctification. He is “The Sin Hunter” given to seek out, uncover, and get rid of the sin He finds.
The writer of Hebrews tells us to, “Pursue the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). At Salvation, the Lord puts us on the path to becoming “Holy as He is Holy.” In Christ, we are called “Holy” covered by His righteousness before God but God also wants us to make us Holy. The Spirit is given to us to produce fruit that is in the likeness of God and according to His Will. The Spirit is also given to us to uncover those deeds of the flesh that need to be exposed, examined, and expressed before God in confession for forgiveness. When our sins would rather stay hidden – when everything about them cries out, “We don’t want to be found!” The Spirit graciously convicts and sheds light by His Word that we may dig these out of our hearts and lives. In Christ, our hearts are no longer a house for sin. We have been bought with a price. We are now temples of the Holy Spirit and vessels of God’s glory (I Cor. 6:19-20). We can’t let sin remain. As hard as it is or as hesitant as we may be, we must expose it (Eph. 5:11). The Holy Spirit will do this (John 16:8). As we walk with Him and by Him we become more sensitive to it (II Cor. 5:17). We become more aware of its whereabouts to get it out before it hurts us or others (Ps. 32:3; Josh. 7).
Even if we think we can hide something before God, we are wrong: “…all things are laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13). Hiding doesn’t lead to holiness but confession to Christ does. Let us go to Him in brokenness for what we’ve found but also with confidence that He will graciously forgive us and cleanse us from that sin (I John 1:9; Heb. 4:16). Let us also throw off the sin that entangles us. I have to tell my son that bugs don’t make good pets and the truth is, neither does our sin. Get it out for your good and God’s glory!
Seeking The Spirit’s Work, Pastor Rudy