The Infallible Detective

I like crime documentaries about how a corrupt, powerful family has control of a small town, and they are crooked as all get out, and they're committing crimes and covering up murders, and they have the sheriff in their pocket and local politicians on the payroll, and then someone smarter than them comes to town, does some digging and investigating, and finds them out, and they are exposed and arrested, tried, convicted, and put in prison. It's ironic, friends, how money, power, and corruption seem to run on the same current. And I like a good detective story, where the villain is clever and careful, careful to cover up his tracks, and who believes he has committed the perfect crime.

Then a detective like Colombo comes around, who's more clever than him, and starts to investigate, and finds him out, and puts him in jail. In God's word, in the book of Numbers, we read of such a detective, where human detectives are limited and fallible, this detective is right every time, for he is the infallible detective. And that's the title of my message today, friends, the infallible detective.

And my text can be found in the book of Numbers, in chapter 32. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verse 23, which speaks of this infallible detective.

In our passage, here is Moses, and he's addressing the people of God, and he says to them, but if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out. The infallible detective is none other than the Holy Spirit, who knows us like a book, and who collects evidence, and keeps records, and who arrests, convicts. He is the infallible detective, the Spirit of God.

Be sure your sin will find you out. You may escape exposure here, in prosecution for your crimes, against a holy God, perhaps in this life, but a day is fast approaching, where every mother's son will appear at a final judgment, and their life will be exposed of the things done, whether they be good or evil. You can rest assured, friends, that the infallible detective will find you out at last.

We have an incredible scene found in the book of Revelation, in chapter 20, and in verses 11 through 15. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life.

And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every man, according to their works, and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.

This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. This fantastic, heavenly courtroom scene, friends, is the eternal bar of God, where the judge of all the earth sits on a great white throne.

His throne is white, which denotes his holy nature, and speaks of his justice. All the records of our lives are kept written in books for every season of our life, the good times, the bad times, our good deeds, our bad deeds. The books will be opened, and the record will be reviewed, as evidence is presented to the one who has eyes of fire, and the record of our life falls beneath his intense scrutiny.

The infallible detective not only keeps a detailed record, but an infallible record, because he himself is infallible. Be sure your sin will find you out. What you've tried to cover up will be uncovered on that day.

What you've done to cover your dirty tracks and conceal your crimes will be found out on that day. How you thought you were getting away with it, that your secret sins will never be found out, and you've been hiding them. But on that day, the bright spotlight of the spirit of God will shine into every dark nook and corner, and like a flashlight shined in a dark cellar, the roaches and vermin and rats will scatter.

Be sure your sin will find you out. Oh, how often this is repeated in scripture, friends. After tasting the vanity of life, Solomon arrives at the conclusion of the matter in the last two verses of Ecclesiastes.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

Here we see God as a judge, and the exposure of sin with all its sobering certainties. Be sure your sin will find you out with every secret thing. It will no longer be a secret.

Be sure your sin will find you out. What are you ashamed of now will be exposed then. Your record will be reviewed.

Your life will be exposed. Verdicts will be read. The sentencing of the law will be carried out upon all guilty lawbreakers.

What, then, is your only hope, friend? There is only one hope, and that's hope in the only one, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood covers all sin. You must come to him in sincere repentance and, by faith, believe on him to get your sins washed in his blood, Christ, the sacrifice for our sins. Listen, friend, I know I am a sinner, and I need a substitute for sin, and so do you, friend, so do you.

Jesus came to earth doing good, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and what happened? Men cried away with him and nailed him to a cross. At Calvary a bloodstained Savior suffered and died. He rose again.

He appeared unto many before he ascended back into heaven where he now sits at the right hand of God, and he earned that right by way of a bloody cross. Revelation 1.5 declares unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. The infallible detective declares your sin will find you out.

These are the two whosoevers that stand out most in my mind, friends, in the book of Revelation, and they stand out like white on black and crimson red like snow. The first is mention of the great white throne in the book of life in verse 15, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. The other whosoever mention that stands out to me is found in the last chapter of Revelation in verse 17, and it's the last invitation to sinners to come to Christ for pardon of sin.

And the Spirit and the bride say come, and let him that heareth say come, and let him that is a thirst come, and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely. The first whosoever is full of dread and damnation in a lake of fire. The other whosoever is full of hope and forgiveness of sin in a bleeding Christ.

Which one will you take, friend?