I'm Forgiven Series

Why do I worship?

Last week we asked that question and answered it with the first of many answers, because God’s Presence leads me to respond in worship.

Worship, as we defined it last week is a response of all that I am to all that God is. In other words, it is a RESPONSE to God’s revelation of Himself.

This week, we will find another answer to this question of “why do I worship?”

It is because I worship, because I am forgiven.

Our Cast of Characters for this sermon are: David, Bathsheba, Uriah, and Nathan. Some of you may think you are familiar with the story. I hope that you will see something about yourself that you have not seen before.

Overview:

David’s army goes to war, David remains behind in Jerusalem. He goes for a walk on the roof of his palace one evening. The palace roof is the highest in the city. It is there that he notices a woman bathing, probably he sees her through the window of her home or on her own roof. He asks a servant to find out who the woman is, and finds out it is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.

Uriah is one of David’s “mighty men.” If we were to modernize this term, he would be one of the winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor and most likely, one of the leaders of his army.

Being a hero of the army, he may have had a home very close to the kings palace, thus, the circumstances of how David was able to see Uriah’s wife.

The bible says that after he inquired who she was, he ordered her to come to him at the palace and they had relations. We don’t know her willingness, but no one tells the king “no.”

Well, Bathsheba discovers she is pregnant, and there is no way her husband could be the father, because he has been away at war.

And then David does the first thing that most people do when they sin.

He covers it up.

He calls Uriah back from the front lines and tries twice to talk Uriah into sleeping with Bathsheba, his wife, so that Uriah won’t know that the child isn’t his own. But Uriah will have nothing to do with her, his loyalties to the army won’t allow him to enjoy himself while his comrades are experiencing the discomforts of the field of battle.

So finally, David writes a letter to his commander and sends it back to the line with Uriah. Little does Uriah know, but he is carrying his own death warrant. Uriah is exposed to the most dangerous place of battle and is killed, at the orders of David.

So now David believes he has hidden his sin.

In fact, at the root of Uriah’s murder is David’s desire to protect his own reputation, his position and his prestige as a man who is known to be “after God’s own heart.” Those things, at the time, are more valuable than the glory of God.

David is more interested in hiding the fact that he commited adultery than he is in glorifying God with his conduct. He must know he has sinned. But he has swept it under the rug, and in so doing, is dishonoring God.

But isn’t that the way we all act?

When we sin, we don’t want others to find out…we don’t want the shame, we don’t want to lose face, we don’t want to ADMIT that we are weak or that we gave in to some embarrassing deed or gave in to an appetite that we shouldn’t have.

We cover up our sin. But the bible says, “Your sin will find you out.”

That means that every sin we hide will be uncovered.

You essentially have two choices… to either uncover it and present it to God for forgiveness...Or have it exposed for all to see. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Heb 4:13)

Sin is always discovered.

In the long run, there are no secret sins. As Jesus states,

There is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3 Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. (Luke 12:2,3)

Which would you choose? To expose your sin to God or let Him expose it and you?

Before I go on, we need to understand something else about the nature of sin.

Sin always deceives.

Sin always promises something it cannot deliver.

Temptation to sin comes across as a shortcut to fulfillment -- when really it is a dead end to death and destruction.