Sinfomercial
03/08/09 AM
Text: 2 Samuel 11:1-17
Introduction
I was flipping TV channels mindlessly (mindless TV, is that an oxymoron?) recently when something grabbed my attention. It was not a captivating program or a fascinating documentary or even a particularly delicious recipe on the food channel, it was an infomercial.
America is credited for giving the infomercial to the world. When they first appeared, infomercials were most often during late-night/early morning hours. Today you will find infomercials running pretty much any time during the day (a large portion of infomercial spending is early morning, daytime, early prime and even prime time.) There are also entire networks devoted to just airing infomercials all day and night. An interesting local hook is that the very first infomercial may have been right here in San Diego. During the 1970s local station XETV ran a one-hour television program every Sunday consisting of advertisements for local homes for sale.
Some infomercials are made to closely resemble actual television programming. Some imitate talk shows and try to downplay the fact that the program is actually an advertisement. This one was not one of those; this one was right off the Midway of the Del Mar fair. It was in your face, fast pitch; don’t stop talking for a second kind of sales line. In a way it was refreshing in its honesty, there was no doubt that this infomercial was trying to get you to call in and buy, and call now.
Because when you call in to buy, that’s when they have you on the hook and the real sales job begins. After getting your information, the person on the line says something like, “Now would you like the deluxe version? The one you are ordering is actually made out of cardboard but for a small upgrade price, we do offer one made out of solid wood, which will last 10 times as long.”
Once you give a yes or no on that decision, you then hear these words: “Now, shipping on this will take about 4-6 weeks, but if you’d like it like it to come sooner than that, you can pay an extra $9.99 and get it sent to you immediately.”
Once that decision is made, you then hear, “Now even though you are paying $19.99 for your item, if you would like another identical one, we can add that to your order for $4.99″
But of course, they’re not quite finished. “Would you like to be connected to so and so for some magazine subscriptions?” It is an exhausting experience, especially if you end up having a bill that is twice as much as you planned when you made the call.
I.Sinfomercial
So what’s the point of bringing this up this morning? Because it occurred to me that this whole experience of the infomercial is a great picture of how sin works in our lives. It starts small, sometimes even innocently. But once we bite, it wants more than we bargained for. It just keeps coming at us, inviting us to give a little more of ourselves…so that we end up with a bill that much larger than we ever planned.
We can see this Sinfomerical progression in the story of David. It is a painful story to read; how he was at the height of God’s blessing, experiencing huge military victories and loved by the people. One day, when he should have been out with his troops, he caught sight of Bathsheba bathing and ended up sleeping with her but the story doesn’t end there. The hook was set. When Bathsheba got pregnant, David first tried to get her husband to come home and sleep with his wife, which he refused to do while his comrades were fighting. So then David tried to get him drunk, which also didn’t work.
Finally, David sent a note with Uriah to the commander of the army, Joab. In this note, David commanded Joab to place Uriah on the front lines of battle and then leave him there to fight for himself, so that he would be killed. And that is what happened.
David then takes Bathsheba to be his wife. Notice how this sin progressed: from a lustful look, to a one night stand, to out right, murder. David didn’t have murder on his mind when he first glanced at Bathsheba’s beauty…but once he was on the line, the sin began to destroy more and more.
Someone once said, “Sin will always take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” That first move toward sin seems so harmless, just like dialing that 1-800 number or a fish biting into a hook
You and I are no different than David; we are just as vulnerable to the sales pitch of the Sinfomercial. Thankfully our God has given us the story of David and Bathsheba so that we may learn to guard ourselves from sin.
II.To Guard Against Sin
A.Do What We Are Supposed To Do
1.If we are consciously engaged in doing what God intends us to do, we are far less likely to stray idly into sin.
a.David’s slide into sin began not with action but inaction. 2 Samuel 11:1.
b.God had given David as king of Israel. David’s place as King was with his armies in the field and yet instead he was in Jerusalem.
2.Everything we do, at work, at play, every minute of every day belongs to God.
a.Colossians 3:23 - 24 (NASB) Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
b.Colossians 3:17 (NASB) Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
3.Knowing that God is a part of everything we do, engaging God in everything we do will help guard us from sin.
B.Keep our focus on things above
1.David had to look down to see Bathsheba bathing.
a.This can happen, the problem is David did not look away but instead pursued the question of who she was and then sent for her. 2 Samuel 11:3, 4
b.Colossians 3:1 - 2 (NASB) Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
c.If you fill your mind with thoughts focused on God rather than the world it will flow out of your actions.
1)Proverbs 23:7a “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.”
2)Matthew 12:34b “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”
3)Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
2.To properly fill our minds with thoughts pleasing to God we need to turn to His word.
a.Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”
b.Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” David wrote these words knowing that flowing from the heart are the words of our mouth and the action of our lives.
c.The Word will guard our thoughts and our hearts and guide our actions.
3.The whole armor of God which Paul describes in Ephesians 11 is derived from the Word of God.
C.Be constant in prayer and confess our sins.
1.Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
a.The scriptures exhort us to prayer time and time again for our own benefit. When we are in contact with our God we will draw on His strength to stand against sin.
b.David plunged deeper and deeper into sin as he tried in vain to keep his transgression a secret.
c.Had he been in constant contact with his God he may not have sinned in the first place but surely would not have compounded his transgression with the murder of Uriah.
d.1 John 1:8 – 9 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Conclusion: We can guard against sin if we engage God in our lives, focus on things above with His word in our thoughts, hearts, and actions, and stay in constant prayer, confessing our sins to Him.
Invitation
