The last couple of weeks we have been talking about Confession. It's a scary word. To reveal ourselves as we truly are is a scary thing. It was actually one of the very first consequences of fall of man.
Gen 3:6-10: "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. (7) Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. (8) They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (9) Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" (10) He said, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.'"
When Sin entered into the world, we started down the path of hiding ourselves from each other and from God. Because we're made in the image of God we long to be known as God desires to make Himself known, but because of Sin, we find it so shameful... so impossible to reveal ourselves as we truly are.
Henry David Thoreau an American philosopher and naturalist once said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Now he had a different context in mind, but I think the statement applies in our context as well. We desperately want to be known. We desperately want to stop masquerading behind our fig leaves and to show our true selves, but because of Sin, we quietly retract back into darkness. We lead lives of quiet desperation... always desiring to be known, yet so afraid... so ashamed to come into the light.
Now here's the bad news. As bad as you think you are, you are in fact immeasurably worse. We have offended our High King. We have betrayed The One who is Infinitely Holy and Good, the result being that we are therefore infinitely wicked and bad.
But here's the good news. As great as you think our Savior is, Jesus Christ is in fact immeasurably greater. As Tim Keller says, The gospel is the good news that, "you are more flawed and lost than you ever dared believe, yet you can be more accepted and loved than you ever dared hope at the same time, because Jesus Christ lived and died in your place."
Jesus Christ went into the darkness of death for three days so that you and I can come into the light.