David
& Bathsheba
Audio at
http://jubilee-church.org/sermons/2004/02/series-on-david.htm
Preaching on the subject of sex is one of the hardest things I do. It would be much easier to dodge it. But there’d be no rescuing people from the devastation of misused sexuality and no leading them to the joy of God’s intentions for this gift.
*Bill Hybels
Misconceptions
*“Sex is the only sin God cannot forgive”
*NOT TRUE
Sex is important
*Woody Allen: “There are only three important things- sex…. and somehow I cant remember the other two”
*Sexual sin is often singled out
*2 Pe 2:9-10 the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.
*David was good at submitting to authority but indulged his passion- do we fail at both today?
Sexual sin can be forgiven
*1 Cor 6:9-11 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God*Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Misconceptions
*“Sex is the only sin God cannot forgive”
*“David was a really bad man after all”
David was a man after Gods heart but….
*David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. (1 Kings 15:5)
*Even a good man can fall into serious sin
*“The Bible must be the Word of God because man would never write anything so disapproving of himself! The Bible does not flatter us, nor does it teach—as virtually every other religion does—that man can perfect himself. In fact, Scripture is pessimistic in the extreme regarding man’s innate ability.”
Misconceptions
*“Sex is the only sin God cannot forgive”
*“David was a really bad man after all”
*“I could NEVER do that…….”
‘I could never do that…..’
*“The seeds of every man’s sins are in my heart.-It’s something of which we must all continually remind ourselves and one another. The person who declares any given sin to be impossible for him or her has just increased the likelihood of committing it.” (Brent D. from Sovereign Grace)
*Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (1 Cor 10:12)
*David was not a young man at this time
Have you committed adultery?
*Mat 5:27-30 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”
If David can do it so can I…..
*How do I fight sin?
*Scripture reading, prayer, self-denial, a life of discipleship, being tested by trials, a love of the Law, a tender conscience, being active in the church, having godly counsellors, a lifestyle of worship, avoiding temptation (eg not seeing certain films)
*Whilst all the above do help, they do not offer a guarantee of success against sin.
*Willpower won’t work
Misconceptions
*“Sex is the only sin God cannot forgive”
*“David was a really bad man after all”
*“I could NEVER do that…….”
*“This is irrelevant for me as I am a woman”
What not to take away from this sermon!
*“Sex is the only sin God cannot forgive”
*“David was a really bad man after all”
*“I could NEVER do that…….”
*“This is irrelevant for me as I am a woman”
*“This has nothing to do with the rest of my life”
*Sin is sin, and what we learn today will help us in our struggle against it in all areas of life
Now lets read the passage
*2 Sam 11 & 12
David and Bathsheba
*The slippery slope to sin
*Sin’s cover-up operation
*Sin confronted and forgiven
*The lasting consequences of sin
The Slippery slope to sin
*David had developed an attitude to women that saw them as his possessions
*2 Sam 3:14-16 Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish. But her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to Bahurim
*Jeremiah 3:1 "If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again*Would not the land be completely defiled?” (NIV)
The temptations of kings…
*‘He must not acquire many horses for himself ….and he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.’ Deut 17:16-17
*‘Power, sex and money’- sound familiar?
*David indulged his lust by marrying lots of women
*‘And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem….’(2 Sam 5:13)
*Marriage is not a guarantee of freedom from lust
*Feeding the monster of lust does not quell it
The Slippery slope to sin
*Laziness- David did not go to war, and was on his couch instead.
*Sometimes the most helpful thing we can do for people is help them to become active
*‘Without work all life goes rotten…… unemployment is associated with early death, divorce, family violence, accidents, suicide, higher mortality rates in spouse and children, anxiety and depression, disturbed sleep patterns and low self-esteem’ (BMJ)
The Slippery slope to sin
* David was on his own- togetherness kills sin
*Forgot his bible-
*Leviticus 20:10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbour, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”
The sin began with his eyes
*“I have made a covenant with my eyes;how then could I gaze at a virgin*(Job 31:1)
*“Lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes” (1Jn 2:16)
*Lust is never satisfied, instead perversion increases
*“I am ashamed of my inability to turn away from pornography. It is a sin that plagues me” -Christian Internet user
*Even sexual images seen by chance can be burnt onto men’s minds for years
*Surveys suggest the majority of Christian men struggle with internet porn
Do you rationalise ‘minor porn’?
*44% of the sample struggled with lust on a daily basis
*Viewing sexual nudity is surely unacceptable
*Lust depersonalises the victim
*The opposite sex are not objects for pleasure
* Would you want your daughter or wife to feature in the film / website you are viewing?
*Lust is the perversion of a godly desire for happiness and satisfaction
How to deal with sexual sin
* 1 Co 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality.
*Ro 13:13-14 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarrelling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires
*"Be killing sin, or it will be killing you." John Owen.
*The goal- not even a hint!
Practical tips
*Exercise caution in all relationships with the opposite sex
*Introduce work colleagues to your wife/husband
*Take radical action about what you feed your eyes with
*Vigorously seek pleasure elsewhere
*If possible marry, but don’t see that as your salvation
*Run from situations that cause you temptation
*I can imagine one of the servants walking outside the house when suddenly, whoosh! A human-shaped blur flashes out the door at world-class speed.- “What was that?” Joseph. The man of God. Running for his life. “Lord!” he pants at the half-mile mark, “help me!” “I am. Just keep running. You get away from that woman as far and as fast as you can.” It’s smart to run from temptation. It’s idiotic to stand there and try to stare it down. And yet some would have responded to Joseph’s situation this way: “God, I sense temptation beginning to develop. I call upon you, Lord. Please deliver me from this situation.” “I am going to deliver you,” God says. “Run!” C.J.
Online resources
*‘Net Nanny’ software
*www.screenit.com
*Accountability software
*Don’t blame women for your lust
*But remember ‘Will power won’t work’
Do you blame Bathsheba?
*Was she essentially raped?
*‘If the women in my church are typical, and I have no reason to believe they aren’t, as many as half of them have had a destructive or unwanted sexual experience forced on them.’ Bill Hybels
*Could she have said no?
*Should she have been bathing on the roof?
*Was she naïve?
*Was she ‘committing pornography’?
David and Bathsheba
*The slippery slope to sin
*Sin’s cover-up operation
*Sin confronted and forgiven
*The lasting consequences of sin
The slippery slope of sin
*James 1:13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
How did David deal with his sin?
*He tried to cover it up
*The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed” (Job 24:15)
*He committed a worse sin to try and hide it
*He lived the lie for many months
Sin Confronted
*Have you got a Nathan?
*Begins tactfully with a story
*‘You are the man’
*Offers forgiveness
*Ends with ‘by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord’
*Do we see sin as a matter of life and death?
How did David deal with his sin?
*He tried to cover it up
*He committed a worse sin to try and hide it
*He lived the lie for probably some months
*When confronted he ran to God
*It is appropriate to go running to God when we are in any kind of trouble, even if its our fault
*Psalm 51 was the result
*Although we must run away from sin, for this to succeed we must run towards God.
Are you desperate?
*“All true spiritual leadership has its root in desperation.” John Piper
*Are you frightened that people will find you out?
*Do you need help to conquer sin?
*Are the practical tips outlined above enough?
*Or do you need God, and a revelation of his grace?
*Knowing you have nothing to do to please God is the best motivator to a pure life
Desperation
*"Prayer is not primarily a means of getting things done. It should never be a pragmatic exercise. Prayer is our means of meeting God - of entering into deep intimacy with Him. The life of prayer is born out of an overwhelming hunger for God - a desire that says, ’I must have God or I die.’ "
*’Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon’ - John Piper
*Empowering grace applied by the Holy Spirit changes us
The God who keeps his word
*David’s sin did not annul the covenant God had made with him- an unconditional covenant made with an unreliable man
*Why did God choose an unreliable man to have a covenant with?
*Because there is no other sort of man!
*Why did God create an unconditional covenant?
*Because he cannot change his mind
Sin’s consequences don’t go away
*David was forgiven and the eternal consequences dealt with
*But, David had to live with the temporary consequences of his sin for the rest of his life
*Absalom, etc….
*His son died
David’s son
*NB such deaths are NOT usually directly related to sin
*David mourns before the death, believing his son will probably die, but praying he may yet be saved
*Then, after death his grief appears eased and he states ‘I will go to him……’
*Many Christian’s today struggle with grief partly because they do not begin to grieve before death- they don’t want to ‘Kill faith’
What to take away
*Sex is good
*Sex in the wrong place is bad
*The consequences of wrong sex can be life destroying
*Kill sin before it kills you
*Run away from sin and to God
*God’s Spirit aids us in our fight against sin
*Create in me a clean heart O God (Ps 51)
