Avoiding the Deep Spiral of Sin

Introduction

Every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas we can see videos of fireman putting turkeys into a fryer and seeing the consequences of doing it wrong.

PLAY VIDEO!

Put it in frozen and starts shooting out everywhere, have too much oil in the fryer and it over flows onto the fire and ignites

Why do they do this…

to show the consequences of doing it wrong

to show he danger to you and your family when you do not obey simple rules of how things are supposed to be done

Today - Avoiding the Deep Spiral of Sin

a very familiar passage to people, and one that has been argued about, of course

one that I love because I believe it shows the authenticity of the Bible

we have been looking at David and after last weeks message, we can almost see him as the messiah himself if we are not careful

but the Bible in in raw, authentic way, shows us how this hero in the faith, man in the lineage of Jesus

The point of today’s text is not what sin did David commit, but how do we avoid falling into the sinful trap that David found himself in?

PRAY

2 Samuel 11 CSB

1 In the spring when kings march out to war, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.

Important note that the narrative is trying to get across right away

when Kings go battle…

David sent another…

David stayed home

2 Samuel 11 CSB

2 One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. 3 So David sent someone to inquire about her, and he said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hethite?” 4 David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. Now she had just been purifying herself from her uncleanness. Afterward, she returned home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to inform David, “I am pregnant.”

David, when he should be out a war, is bored after his nap and takes a walk

why a nap, afternoon and gets up from his bed

he sees a woman bathing and sends somebody to find out who this is

meaning, he keeps watching as they are finding out

they come back and tell him exactly who

the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah

that person you are lusting after David, is a daughter of somebody, another man’s wife

as much as that should stand out to us it went right by David who was more concerned about his fleshly, lustful desires than listening to the promptings of the Spirit

he has her brought to him, and as a result she becomes pregnant

2 Samuel 11 CSB

6 David sent orders to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hethite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the troops were doing and how the war was going.

small talk rather than confessing that Uriah’s wife is pregnant and it is mine

2 Samuel 11 CSB

8 Then he said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king followed him. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the palace with all his master’s servants; he did not go down to his house. 10 When it was reported to David, “Uriah didn’t go home,” David questioned Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a journey? Why didn’t you go home?” 11 Uriah answered David, “The ark, Israel, and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his soldiers are camping in the open field. How can I enter my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live and by your life, I will not do this!”

We can instantly see who the man of character is in this passage and it is not the one who has been celebrated up to this point.

2 Samuel 11 CSB

12 “Stay here today also,” David said to Uriah, “and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 Then David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and David got him drunk. He went out in the evening to lie down on his cot with his master’s servants, but he did not go home.

David is hoping that if Uriah is in the same place David was he could get him to go home to his wife and unknowingly cover David’s sin

by getting him drunk he was hoping he would not be the godly man he had been up to this point

2 Samuel 11 CSB

14 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote: Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest fighting, then withdraw from him so that he is struck down and dies. 16 When Joab was besieging the city, he put Uriah in the place where he knew the best enemy soldiers were. 17 Then the men of the city came out and attacked Joab, and some of the men from David’s soldiers fell in battle; Uriah the Hethite also died. 18 Joab sent someone to report to David all the details of the battle. 19 He commanded the messenger, “When you’ve finished telling the king all the details of the battle— 20 if the king’s anger gets stirred up and he asks you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you realize they would shoot from the top of the wall? 21 At Thebez, who struck Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the top of the wall so that he died? Why did you get so close to the wall?’—then say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hethite is dead also.’ ”

Uriah… since you will not cover my sin unknowingly, you must die

take your death notice to the commander… a dead man walking with the letter to command it

Joab who has been out at war does exactly what he is told to do

an innocent man dies because of this cowardly sinful king

2 Samuel 11 CSB

22 Then the messenger left. When he arrived, he reported to David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The messenger reported to David, “The men gained the advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we counterattacked right up to the entrance of the city gate. 24 However, the archers shot down on your servants from the top of the wall, and some of the king’s servants died. Your servant Uriah the Hethite is also dead.”

Notice… not only did Uriah die as he was supposed to, but so that people would not see what was happening, others were killed in the process

David did not care for any of the lives of those around him, only that his sin not be exposed.

he is not a mass murderer

2 Samuel 11 CSB

25 David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this matter upset you because the sword devours all alike. Intensify your fight against the city and demolish it.’ Encourage him.” 26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband, Uriah, had died, she mourned for him. 27 When the time of mourning ended, David had her brought to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. However, the Lord considered what David had done to be evil.

The narrative cannot allow us to believe for one second that the Lord was ok with this

chapter 12, we will look at next week, is the Lord sending somebody to David to confront his sin

but we are to know right away, the Lord considered, it had the appearance to him as sin!

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Even those we look up to spiritually. In the same way, we all need the grace of God.

Three Ways to Fall in Sin and Three Ways to Avoid Sin

First Way to Fall - Put Yourself in a Position to be Tempted

2 Samuel 11:1–2 CSB

1 In the spring when kings march out to war, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.

David was home when he should have been at war

David sends out Joab, the leader of his Army instead of going himself

Who was David, the king who was supposed to be shepherding his people

the one who was supposed to lead the people

the one who should be protecting people

when we forget our calling in the Lord, we end up looking for something to do to satisfy ourselves

David was bored when he should have been busy

When David should have been in a battle he is looking for something to do in the late afternoon

he had already taken his nap, but what to do with the rest of the day

Saying, idle hands are the devils playground

we can take this to the extreme and often do, never resting, cannot be idle, cannot be bored

The Lord has given us a pattern of life to live by

a time to work and a time to rest

this was not a time to rest, when Kings usually went out to war

David fell when he put himself in the place where temptation was front and center

when the fleshly desire swelled in his heart, he did not turn away, but fell deeper and deeper

James 1:14–15 CSB

14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

instead of looking away, he though it through enough to send his servants

find out who that is

that is somebodies daughter, somebodies wife… I do not care bring her to me… my flesh must be satisfied!

by time he found out who, he was past the point of caring and his flesh had to be satisfied

How to Avoid Sin - Put to death the things of the flesh

Colossians 3:5 CSB

5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

John Owen “The Mortification of Sin”

Mortify -  subdue (the body or its needs and desires) by self-denial or discipline: 

Not mortified like Heather sometimes when I am talking

Six reasons that we need to be mortifying our sin.

Indwelling sin always abides while we are in this world.

this side of glory we will always struggle with that sinful nature

we cannot assume that we have made it to a point of spirituality or maturity where we will not struggle with sin and temptation

Sin is still acting and labouring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh.

Sin is always acting. We are in trouble if we are not always mortifying.

Sin if not mortified will bring forth great, cursed, scandalous, and soul-destroying sins (Galatians 5:19-20).

this is not a simple thing that stays small

as we can see in our text, the sin grows and grows and grows

The Holy Spirit and new nature are given to us to oppose sin and lust.

we can ignore the spirit for a while… but it will feel like a weight baring down on you

more on that later

Neglect of this duty makes inner man decay instead of renewing him.

Why do I not feel closer to the Lord

sin in your life

you are more concerned about satisfying the desires of your flesh than killing it

Our spiritual growth is our daily duty.

this is not something that we decide on a Sunday morning based on the words of a preacher and it is over

we must put to death the desires of our flesh, and we must do this every day

never once entering a day believing that we are strong enough to take on the temptations of that day

that we are strong enough to sample a little sin and not fall head long into a spiral of death

Opening Paragraph - Paul in speaking to believers thus challenges the Colossians: Therefore mortify your members which are upon the earth… Col. 3:5 Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? You must always be at it while you live; do not take a day off from this work. Be killing sin or it will be killing you.

we put our flesh to death, we subdue it

one way we practice this is through fasting

denying the most basic thing that the body desires, food, denying its cravings and demonstrating that you rule your body, your body does not rule you

We are to put to death our flesh, put on the fruit of the spirit

If David is walking by the Spirit of God, living in the fruit of the spirit he would have never been on the porch to begin with

Colossians 3:12 CSB

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

a compassionate king is not sending other men to fight for him

he is not so prideful that he believes he does not have to fight anymore or that the people of his kingdom are there to satisfy his fleshly desires and he can take what he wants

Second Way to Fall - Try to Cover Your Sin

do not re-read the passage

2 Samuel 11:6–13 CSB

6 David sent orders to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hethite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the troops were doing and how the war was going. 8 Then he said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king followed him. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the palace with all his master’s servants; he did not go down to his house. 10 When it was reported to David, “Uriah didn’t go home,” David questioned Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a journey? Why didn’t you go home?” 11 Uriah answered David, “The ark, Israel, and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his soldiers are camping in the open field. How can I enter my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live and by your life, I will not do this!” 12 “Stay here today also,” David said to Uriah, “and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 Then David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and David got him drunk. He went out in the evening to lie down on his cot with his master’s servants, but he did not go home.

David comes up with a scheme

it does not tell us that others helped him plan, although servants helped him carry it out

meaning his scheming is causing others to join in o the sin

tell the plan in my own words

Uriah is shown to be a man of Character, a man of God

he does not go home to his wife, even after getting drunk with the king

He was one of King David’s most elite fighters

David did not even try to lie and just kill him in the palace, sent him back to battle with his own death note in his hand.

We attempt to cover our sin because of shame

like Adam in the garden, we are trying to cover and hide even from God

yet the omniscient, Lord knows your sin

and being omnipresent he is there when you sin

The God who knows when you rise and when you sit down, who knows your thoughts from afar cannot be fooled by hiding your sin

Psalm 139:1–3 CSB

1 Lord, you have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away. 3 You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways.

He knew you were sinful when he died on the cross

there is no sin you commit now that surprises him and causes him to wonder

How to Avoid Sin - Confess Your Sin

shedding light on our sin is the best disinfectant

look what David wrote

Psalm 32:2–6 CSB

2 How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit! 3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat. Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately. When great floodwaters come, they will not reach him.

The best way to have a difficult conversation is to start talking

as long as we wait to have that conversation we will think up all the ways that it will go bad.

when we are holding our confession back, Satan is there reminding us how sinful we are and lying to us that God will not forgive such a wretched sinner.

We feel the weight of our sin

David says like we are drained in the summer heat

the difference between the spirit leading us to confession and the devil reminding us of our sin is simple

one leads to freedom and the other leads to chains

The one we try to hide our sin from over all is the one who gives us relief from our sin

Third Way to Fall - Be Consumed with Self

Do not re-read the passage…

2 Samuel 11:14–27 CSB

14 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote: Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest fighting, then withdraw from him so that he is struck down and dies. 16 When Joab was besieging the city, he put Uriah in the place where he knew the best enemy soldiers were. 17 Then the men of the city came out and attacked Joab, and some of the men from David’s soldiers fell in battle; Uriah the Hethite also died. 18 Joab sent someone to report to David all the details of the battle. 19 He commanded the messenger, “When you’ve finished telling the king all the details of the battle— 20 if the king’s anger gets stirred up and he asks you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you realize they would shoot from the top of the wall? 21 At Thebez, who struck Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the top of the wall so that he died? Why did you get so close to the wall?’—then say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hethite is dead also.’ ” 22 Then the messenger left. When he arrived, he reported to David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The messenger reported to David, “The men gained the advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we counterattacked right up to the entrance of the city gate. 24 However, the archers shot down on your servants from the top of the wall, and some of the king’s servants died. Your servant Uriah the Hethite is also dead.” 25 David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this matter upset you because the sword devours all alike. Intensify your fight against the city and demolish it.’ Encourage him.” 26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband, Uriah, had died, she mourned for him. 27 When the time of mourning ended, David had her brought to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. However, the Lord considered what David had done to be evil.

David is not longer in the satisfying the flesh mode, but in the preservation of his own reputation

he is the Godly King, man after God’s own heart

he cannot let people find him in this sin

too many pastors and church leaders have fallen into this trap

too many churches have let pastors keep their sin in the quiet to protect the important ministry

All believers can fall into this at some point

hide my sin so that my work is not diminished

I have to cover this up or they will talk about me at the coop

they will talk about you anyway, what they don’t know they will make up

we elevate ourselves to excuse why our sin must never be known

This is what David is doing

I have to hide my sin for the sake of my position, for the sake the kingdom

we can even make it spiritual and say he has to hide it so that God’s name is not drug through the mud.

it is an elevation of self, of our importance and an excuse from owning your sin

maybe you’re thinking, no pastor I’ve confessed, some people know, but we have to really keep this quiet

I am not saying all sin must be made public, but David is a public figure

people knew of his sin,

not because it was confessed and repented of

but he did not want it public

Our political leaders would be less likely to sin, do some of the evil acts that they do if they were truly announced publicly

How to Avoid Sin - Offer yourself as a living Sacrifice

Of all weekends, it is this weekend that we understand and celebrate sacrifice the most.

we celebrate the men and women who went into harms way, gave their life so that we might have a free nation

too many of us have turned it into a three day weekend to celebrate the desires of the flesh

their sacrifice should cause us to live in a way that honors their sacrifice, not take it for granted and live in a way that takes our freedom for granted

As bad as we have gotten in this nation at taking our freedom for granted, the church in America has become worse

the church has become passive and weak on sin

meaning we can pronounce when we are against certain sins that are used for a political gain

but we simply yell that we are against it rather than putting to death the sin that is in our midst

we want to see the church grow and be an influence in our nation we must be the living sacrifice God has commanded us to be

Romans 12:1 CSB

1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.

The effect of the gospel in our lives should be the desire to live for the Lord in a sacrificial way

we are no longer sinners hiding in our shame, but repentant people who admit who we are

Romans 3:23 CSB

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

Romans 5:8 CSB

8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23 CSB

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 10:9 CSB

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

does living a sacrificial life mean a life of ministry… yes.

maybe not a paid vocation, but one of constant service to the Lord

not required for salvation, but the result of the gratitude overflowing in your heart for the work that Christ has done.

When we are offering ourselves to him on a daily basis we leave no room for self

When we ask how God can use us to spread the hope available through Christ

the joy of community in the church

we remove or do not leave room for the elevation and satisfaction of our flesh

Conclusion

In ancient times, athletes would strip off all their clothing before a race to avoid any hindrance. The Greek runner, for example, believed that even the smallest garment could entangle him and prevent victory. Just as they removed everything unnecessary to run the race, we need to shed the weight of sin that clings to us. Hebrews 12:1 calls us to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, focusing on Christ as our example.

We must strip away everything in our lives that would allow us to so easily fall into temptation and sin.

Flee from the places we find ourselves tempted,

Mortify, destroy our flesh and its evil desires

Sacrifice our pride and the desire to elevate ourselves and live a life of sacrifice to the one who saved our souls.