God watches over our actions. In Matthew 26:14-25, we come across a man who was
secretly planning an action – the worst of every kind, the betrayal of his Master. He was
hiding his sin from his Master. Many of us hide our sins, believing that others do not see us,
or no one knows about it, and therefore, God too does not know about it.

But Jesus knew the sin of this servant. Jesus knows every secret sin, every secret
conspiracy. Remember, satan had encouraged Judas to hide his sin.

Jesus said in John 8:44, “You are the children of your father- the Devil, and you want
to follow your father’s desires. From the very beginning he was a murderer and has
never been on the side of truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie,
he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies”

If anyone of us commits sins, or have a desire to cheat our family, spouse, or friends, and
you enjoy doing this, we invariably reveal who our father is – the Devil. We reveal our
identity. Jesus said that satan was a murderer from the beginning. He always hides. Even
when Adam and Eve committed sin, the first thing they did was hide. When David
committed sin, he hid.

We may also notice this tendency among our children. When they come back from school,
they share everything that has happened. But if they start hiding things about school, it
would mean they have some sins, actions that are not holy (maybe due to peer pressure)
that they have committed. Eventually they start cultivating a secret life. They don’t want
anyone touching their bag, their mobile, their laptop. They close their room, etc. This is
how satan works. This is how satan controls the body. He doesn’t want the truth. The
truth is open, and need not be hidden. But those who follow the Devil will not follow the
truth. They will lie to their spouses, parents, children, and others around them.

Let’s listen to the story of man who came for a retreat and complained about his wife
having a problem of doubting. He spoke quite a lot about his wife. When the priest spoke
to his wife, she said, “Father, I doubt my husband because of several reasons. He used to
love me, have time for me, and talk to me before. But of late, he goes outside to talk on
the phone. He doesn’t have time.” If she asks him to speak inside the house, he starts
blaming her.

She once caught him doing something on the laptop, and even after persistent pleas, he
refused to tell her. When the priest asked him about it, he said he was typing a message
to one of his lady friends, and it wouldn’t be good for his wife to see. The priest told him,
“Anything that is not good for your wife, is not good for you too.” Husband and wife are
one. Any privacy that you want is possible only before marriage. But at the altar, the
husband and wife committed to the Lord to be one body; so any secret between husband
and wife is a sin. Anything that is not good for your spouse is also not good for the Lord,
since God is also a part of your life. Don’t hide anything from your life partner. God
created the husband and the wife as one unit. He said, “you are no more two, but one.”
The husband, wife, and children are the symbol of the Holy Trinity. They are one. Family
life is a symbol of the Holy Trinity – one heart, one mind, and one strength.

In 2 Samuel, we read about David committing adultery with Bathsheba, and the birth of
Solomon. God was hurt. God was most hurt because David covered up his sins. God gives
us time to repent, but if we don’t repent and persist in sins, we hurt God the most.

Rev 2:21- I have given her time to repent of her sins, but she does not want to turn
from her immorality. And so I will throw her on a bed where she and those who
committed adultery with her will suffer terribly. I will do this now unless they repent
of the wicked things they did with her.

When did God say he was displeased with David’s action?

Not when David committed adultery; not when David covered up his sin with murder, not
when he married Bathsheba, not when the child was born. God gives a time to repent. God
gave David time to repent. David might have thought he has gotten away with his sins, as
no one knows about it. God gave David sufficient time to repent, at least nine months to
repent.

If the consequences of our sins don’t come to us soon, don’t think God isn’t aware. God is
providing us with time to repent. Don’t look at others and come to a conclusion. David was
given nine months to repent. Anytime after committing sin, you think you are safe, that is
the weakest moment.

2 Sam 12:1 tells us how God sent Nathan to David. When in trouble, God may speak to us
through different incidents, or through different people that God appoints. Don’t ignore!

If unexpectedly you hear a preaching about your life, don’t ignore. God is using people to
speak to you. Nathan explained to David a parable about two men – one being poor, and
the other rich. The rich man had flocks and herds, while the poor had nothing but a little
lamb that he had brought up with his children. One day, a traveller came that way.
Instead of killing one among the hundreds of his flocks, he killed the only lamb of the poor
man, and prepared food for the guest. David was greatly angry when he heard this
parable.

David said that the man deserved to die. He did not know that Nathan was talking about
David himself. David passed a quick judgement without realising that Nathan was speaking
about him. We are busy passing judgements on others, forgetting the fact that the same
judgement can be applied in our lives.

When someone commits sin, we want to punish them, but when we commit the same sin,
we want forgiveness. If our family commits sin, we protect them, but if someone outside
does the same, we blame them, humiliate them, and pass comments on social media.

Matthew 7:1-Do not judge so that you may not be judged.

If your neighbour’s children are not leading good lives, as a Christian, we should not pass
judgement, but have compassion on them. God says “if we want mercy, we should also
forgive and give mercy to others.”

Luke 6:31 – Do to others as you would have them do to you.

If you want others to publish your sins, then feel free to publish others’ sins; if you want
compassion, remember to show compassion.

Matthew 7:2-4- For with the judgment you make, you will be judged, and the measure you
give will be the measure you get.    Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s , but do not
notice the log in your own eye?    Or, how can you say to your neighbour, ‘Let me take the
speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye?

Before we can help others, we need to be purified. We must stop judging by external
standards, and judge by true standards. Some people’s faith allows them to eat anything.
We shouldn’t pass judgement on what people eat, drink, and other trivial things. There
are people who criticise others who don’t fast during Lent. God will not tolerate such
judgement. Who are you to judge the servants of someone else? It is their own Master who
will decide whether they succeed or fail. And they will succeed, because the Lord is able
to make them succeed.

Some people think that a certain day is more important than other days, while others
think that all days are the same. We each should firmly make up our own minds. Those
who think highly of a certain day do so in honour of the Lord; those who will eat anything
do so in honour of the Lord, because they give thanks to God for the food. Those who
refuse to eat certain things do so in honour of the Lord, and they give thanks to God.
Whatever we do, do it for the love of God.

We do not live for ourselves only, and we do not die for ourselves only. If we live, it is for
the Lord that we live, and if we die, it is for the Lord that we die. So whether we live or
die, we belong to the Lord. For Christ died and rose to life in order to be the Lord of the
living and of the dead. All of us will stand before God to be judged by him. If we judge
others, we take the seat of God. Only God can pass judgement.

Every one of us then will have to give an account to God.   So then, let us stop judging one
another. Instead, you should decide never to do anything that would make others stumble
or fall into sin.

2 Sam 12: 6 – David says he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and
he had no pity. David knew the Word of God. He knew anyone who commits sin has to pay
restitution. If someone steals a cow or a sheep and kills it or sells it, he must pay five
cows for one cow and four sheep for one sheep.

Nathan tells David, “You are that man.”And this is what the Lord God of Israel says: “I
made you king of Israel and rescued you from Saul.”

Every time we pass judgement on others, God tell us the same thing. You are the man or
you are the woman. I did so much for you, gave you so many gifts, yet you are the man or
woman who sinned. I gave you his kingdom and his wives; I made you king over Israel and
Judah. If this had not been enough, I would have given you twice as much. God regretted
about David.

Would God regret blessing us?

Dear brothers and sisters, you must be working hard to provide for your family. But, make
sure that God does not feel that He regrets blessing you. He blessed and anointed you, but
what did you do?

If you keep reading, you will realise that David committed adultery; David’s son also
committed adultery against his own sister. David murdered Uriah, and his own son killed
another of his son. David possessed someone else’s wife, and his son possessed one of his
own wives. Everything David did, his children repeated in front of his eyes. These are the
consequences of sins. We need to do continuous repentance in front of the Lord. We need
to be united in Jesus and accept him as Lord and Master.

Rom 8:1-There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus.

Let us look back at our lives and accuse ourselves rather than others and repent of our
past sins.