Secret Sins
2 Chronicles 13
Introduction:
Civil War in Israel - Northern Kingdom has split off of the grandson of David -
Reheboam the son on Solomon - was young and foolish - 10 tribes in Northern Israel split
off and made Jereboam an advisor to Solomon King in the North - They fell into sin and
Idolatry - wicked and pagan practices became normal. They have set an ambush of Judah
- King Abijiah of Judah preaches hell fire and brimstone to Israel (we will look at that in
a moment) all the while they are circling around the back to ambush Judah.
Before the sin in Israel became public - before the Civil War that pitted Northern Israel
against Judah before this military ambush against Judah was ever planned. Seeds of
Satan’s ambush on God’s people began a generation before - First with David - Then with
Solomon now with Jereboam -
Read Abajiah’s warning - King of Judah - (serving God - wisdom)
Describe the dependence on God
I. David’s Secret Sin - Bathsheba - 2 Samuel 11:1-15
> 5 mistakes that ushered in the secret sins that David committed
A. Opened himself to temptation - verse 1
B. Engaged the temptation - verse 2
C. He pursued the temptation - verse 3
D. He gave into the temptation - verse 4
E. He sinned again to try to hide his secret sin - verse 15
> Satan’s ambush - David fell into the trap - hook, line and sinker
David went from being in the wrong place at the wrong time to an becoming an
adulterer to becoming a murder in a matter of Days
II. Solomon - not nearly as subtle as in David’s life
A. Opened himself to temptation - 1 Kings 9:11 Treaties with God’s enemies
1. Towns and wives in exchange for peace
B. Engaged the temptation - 1 Kings 11:1-2 Loved many foreign women
C. He pursued the temptation - 11:3-4
D. He gave into the temptation - 11:5-6
E. He sinned again to hide his secret sin 11:40
III. Jereboam - I Kings 12:26
A. Opened himself to Temptation - 1 Kings 12:26 - thought he’d lose the kingdom
1. God promised Jereboam - 1 Kings 11:37-39
B. Engaged the Temptation - Verse 28 - "seeking advise" who did he go to?
C. He pursued the temptation - Made 2 golden calves - verse 28
D. Here are your gods - lead others to sin - even more wicked than sinning alone
E. He sinned again to cover his "secret sin" - 1 Kings 13:33
Application:
What do these three stories mean to us
1) look at the progression
- David - heat of the moment - spontaneous - passion - (1 time)
- Solomon - gradual - compromise here & there led to excesses (300 + 700)
- Jereboam - Instantly seeking his own way
> Rebellion to the extent that the Ambushed becomes the Ambusher
> David - Ambushed by Satan - mistakes were subtle
> Solomon - Ambushed by the World - mistakes were more obvious - greed, power, $$$$
> Jereboam - Ambushed by the flesh - mistakes were deliberate - my way not God’s
In all of their lives sin was "Secret"
> Ambush - Hebrew word for ambush in 2 Chronicles 13:13 -
"The place where they lie in wait in secret or in darkness"
or better yet - "a fortress that is concealed"
Text that we read - describes a military ambush - roots of that ambush - what brought
them there was rooted in the ambush of David - the Ambush of Solomon and the ambush
of Jereboam.
Crosshairs of Ambush are on you life -
> Satan - World - or your own Flesh
Turn to: 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the
world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish
arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we
take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
When we do this - Secret Sins are exposed and they lose the ambush power -
> David repented - sin took it’s toll - Solomon - we don’t know - Jereboam died in sin
Very easy to see the secret sin of others and sadly some rejoice when anothers sin is
exposed - told of times in the Charismatic revival of the 70 when sin would be exposed
publicly from the pulpit - fear - preemptory repentance -
Secret Sin will destroy
- David it was adultery then lies then murder
- Solomon - pride, greed and disobedience
- Jereboam - disobedience, pride, idolatry
What is Satan trying to ambush you with - he is:
He doesn’t limit his ambush to Kings and presidents and Pastors and TV evangelists
> he’s done well with many of them
> but he also set the ambush for each and everyone of us here today
If we can learn anything from David, Solomon and Jereboam: learn this:
If You:
Conceal your sin and you lose
Ignore your sin and you lose
Enjoy you sin and you lose
Easy to find ourselves looking for repentance in other people - Politicians & National
Christian leaders and the person across the pew - stop it for just a second. Stop it and
look inside - It’s harder to relook at the secret sin in our own life - that ambush set just
for us!
The ambush will be set - don’t be caught in it.
1. Christian in this room - Has a secret sin grabbed hold of your life?
Numbers 32:23
"But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure
that your sin will find you out.
> Don’t be looking around to see who’s gonna admit they’ve sinned - I’m first
> Don’t let pride of "what will people think keep you from repentance today
> Don’t trick yourself into thinking you can stop sinning by sheer willpower
- it won’t happen
I John 1:9-10 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out
to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Find a place at this altar this morning - lay that secret sin aside -
Salvation - invitation
