PLAY AUDIO:

MOTIVATE

Caught In Sin[1] There was a guy named Danny whose mother; came to visit him at college. Danny had just moved in with this girl named Allison. He explained to his mom, ‘Mom, don’t get stressed out; this is a platonic relationship – just an arrangement for rent; it’s cheaper this way; we live in separate rooms.’ But Danny’s Mom thought, “There’s no way, because this girl has both beauty and brains!” But Danny assured her they were just friends trying to save money.

So, the Mom came over to eat dinner with them and as they were eating dinner she looks at Allison and says, “Hey Allison, I love that watch. I’ve been wanting one just like that. Can I see yours?” Of course, Allison joyfully hands her the watch telling her all about it. The night goes on with a pleasant dinner.

A few days go by and Allison comes to Danny saying, “You know Danny, I’m missing my watch. The last time I remember having it was when your mom was looking at it. Obviously, I don’t think she stole it but maybe she just forgot to give it back to me, or maybe dropped it in her purse or something. Can you check?”

So Danny sent his mom a text saying, “Hey Mom, Obviously I’m not saying you stole Allison’s watch but the fact remains that you were the last one who had it. Where is it?”

The Mom replies, “Hello Son. Obviously I’m not saying you are sleeping with Allison. But the fact remains that had she been sleeping in her own bed, she would have found the watch on her pillow right where I left it.”

–        Everyone knows what it’s like to get caught in sin.

–        Everyone sins. We are all guilty.

–        In guilt, we hide, we lie, we run… but that is not how God wants us to treat sin.

–        In grace, we are to confess sin and embrace the cross of Jesus as God’s punishment for our sin.

o   Proverbs 28:13 “Whoever conceals transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

o   1John 1:8-9 “If we say we have no sin, we deceiver ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Today we are going to review several warning signs of sin’s danger and how to respond.

 

EXAMINE    2Samuel 11-12 God’s Kingdom is for Purity

The last message we looked at the greatness of David. He was a great king for Israel and many admired his passion for God and political savvy. God blessed David greatly in his reign with power, fame and favor. Yet, after time, David began to believe he independently deserved God’s blessings as a sense of entitlement rather than an undeserving gift.

Entitlement says “I deserve (demand?) to have my desires fulfilled when and how I want them. It is right to live for myself and do what only brings me personal fulfillment regardless of others.”

How does this mindset happen, especially in the life of a believer? How does a person so close to God turn to being so far away? One reality that you cannot miss is that sin has a slippery slope. The seeds of sin are subtle and slow before its roots grow deep into the heart and mind.

Author Paul Tripp says, “…sin produces in all of us a tendency toward ‘now-ism,’ which means we forget three things: who we are (betrothed to Christ); what he is doing now (preparing us for the final wedding); and what we are supposed to be doing (remaining faithful to him). When we focus only on what we want now, we fail to solve our problems and we also cause more difficulties”[2]

Warning signs of sin’s danger:

Misused Time (2Samuel 11:1)

In a time of war David stayed at home rather than working hard to be Israel’s King and expand God’s kingdom. This simple decision and misuse of his time became a giant stain that would cover his life forever.

It happened late one afternoon when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof. David’s leisure, or perhaps it has become laziness, had altered his priorities and passion for the purposes of God.

Time is something that is granted to all of us from God and we are called to steward our priorities. Specific times to be more aware are times of stress and times of leisure.

–        When we are stressed we can be tempted to either stuffing or spilling anger. Proverbs 29:22 “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.” 

o   Stuff: Holding in issues and problems without discussing or dealing with.

• Reason of pride, thinking our shoulders and strength can bear our own burdens.
• Reason of despair, thinking no one cares to listen or help.

o    Spill: Venting anger either verbally or physically.

• Reason of pride, thinking our desires or demands are always righteous.
• Reason of despair, thinking our hurts should be felt by others.

–        When we are in leisure we are tempted to neglect priorities.

o   Vacation/Personal travel or breaks are modern invention; <>< neglect for personal

o   Retreat/Respite is biblical for renewing/refueling for mission.

David’s use of his time, whether it was stress or leisure, was misused.

Ephesians 5:15-16 “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making good use of your time [Kairos = opportune moments; not chronological time], because the days are evil.”

è Use a calendar with prayer to oversee & evaluate time spent vs reality for God’s glory or self & sin. 

Unrestrained Lust (2Samuel 11:2-3)

David saw a beautiful woman bathing. A glance became a gaze of desire and entitlement. In his inquiry he found out that she was married yet he still sent for her. This is wrong for David as a husband to be unfaithful to his wife(ves); as a father to mistreat females and set the wrong model for his daughters in their goal for a good and godly man; and as a king who abuses power and becomes a bully in spite of the servants warning question, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

–        Lust starts in the heart and imaginations.

Matthew 12:35 “The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.” Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

–        Lust promises to please but fails to fulfill.

Proverbs 6:27, 29 “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? …So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.”

–        Sexual sin dulls your affections (chemically in the brain[3]) for good and multiplies destruction.

o   Someone’s child – “daughter of Eliam”

o   Someone’s spouse – “wife of Uriah”

o   Someone’s parent – mother of…

–        Leaders are constantly challenged in area of sexual integrity…

–        Christians are not immune with temptation but should be different in struggle against sin.

o   Struggle by acknowledging the power and presence of sin in your life with inability to survive on own; needing Jesus’ help and hope and resources.

o   Struggle by affirming the gospel that forgiving and empowering grace is possible.

o   Struggle by accountable friendships where vulnerability and encouragement are present.

o   Struggle by altering behaviors and relationships that tolerate and enable sin rather than resist it.

Unashamed Adultery (11:4-5)

David’s sin of lust was acted upon into adultery. It is unclear how agreeable a partner Bathsheba was, although it appears she willingly accepted the proposal. Adultery is seldom an immediate impulse but a decision that has been in the making. David’s sin of adultery started long before Bathsheba (1Sam 25:43). And David’s sin of adultery had the classic consequence with Bathsheba’s pregnancy.

All sexual activity outside of marriage is always a sin (Gen 1:28; 1Cor 6:9-20). Sin, especially sexual in nature, has the power to desensitize and deceive a person into rationalizing the behaviors. Regardless of cultural values, sin and holiness must be defined on God the Creator’s terms and not human enjoyment.

The consequences of sexual sin can be far-ranging in the various levels of emotional hurt, unplanned circumstances or pregnancy, to even physical diseases. The consequences are amplified with sexual sin and the potential effects should give us pause before feeding our lusts and adulterous pleasures.

è Be faithful to communicate & connect in marriage (Proverbs 5:18). Spouses who are away from each other because of job/military, is all the more need to maintain connection. Written notes, video, calls, and variety of other means of communication are vital.

o   Personally, never served in military, I don’t understand why Uriah did not return home to see his wife (11:9). Yet, I appreciate & admire his honor for the Lord & affinity for military brotherhood (11:11).

o   Attention with time. Affirmation with words & deeds. Affection with touch. Adventure with experiences. Accordance with dreams/goals/purpose.

 

Unabashed Deceit (11:6-13)

David’s sin of adultery carried consequences that would find him out as Bathsheba became pregnant. His plan was to bring Uriah home so he would sleep with his wife and cover up that it was David’s baby. However, Uriah did not go home out of duty to the Lord and the King, as he was intent on being a soldier. David tried even further by getting him drunk but Uriah stayed as a focused soldier. All of David’s deceit failed.

Proverbs 20:17 “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man. But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.”

When it comes to my children, their bad behaviors can be parented but deceit and lying is intolerable. God invites humanity into the light and to avoid the darkness; to confront and confess sin and not conceal it.

1John 1:8-10 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

We can be self-deceived, therefore, we must allow others to speak humbly but honestly to our worldview, values, and behavior.

Unregretted Murder (11:14-24)

When David’s schemes failed he was left with a final decision – face or finalize his sin. David chose to send Uriah to the front lines of the army where the battle was the fiercest, expecting Uriah to die. In a sense, David gave the orders for Uriah’s death. In David’s mind, having Uriah killed would remove his problem. In reality it only was just the beginning of David’s troubles.

In David’s family there would be hatred, anger, bitterness, rape, and more. All these sins brought much shame and guilt back to this point of David’s life.

There comes a point of no return where the heart moves from sinful to evil, and God turns one over to their own depravity (Romans 1).

Desensitized Heart (11:25-27)

Lastly, David’s sin had escalated to the point where he became indifferent toward it. When he received news of Uriah’s death he was cold and careless. David’s soldiers knew his selfishness and sin and used it to manipulate circumstances. Notice also the text refers to Bathsheba mourning but is silent concerning David’s emotions (11:26). David had grown deceived and desensitized to his sin.

If you allow sin to build in your life you are in danger of becoming desensitized to the God-given effects of sin (conviction) and to God’s intended direction for your life.

Ephesians 3:18-19 Those that do not follow God “ have hardening of their hearts. [They lose] sensitivity, they give themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge [their own pleasures].”

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you’re willing to pay.” (Steve Farrar, Finishing Strong)
APPLY/THINK

◊      Thankfully God was merciful to not give David what he deserved and was gracious to give David what he did not deserve.

 

◊      Thankfully God sent David a Nathan (and previously a Jonathan, and an Abigail).

2Samuel 12:1-10 [12:7-10] is the confrontation of Nathan with creative candor to David. David is convicted with remorse and provides a model for #LearningRepentance (Psalm 51).

 

◊      David’s sin influenced generations to come, but God’s promise to the Son of David overcame generational sin and consequences.

o   Romans 5:6, 19 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”

o   Nothing but the blood of Jesus…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] From J.D. Greear, Repentance, 2Samuel 12

[2] Paul Tripp, Instrument in the Redeemer’s Hands”, p. 241

[3] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-pornography-and-the-brain/