Make Yourself Vulnerable

Kids

Walking on trail

Enjoy the sights and sounds

Sign that says “stay on trail”

At first, you’re happy to do that.

Then something catches your attention

You take just a small step off the path to get a better look

But now you’re even more interested to check it out.

You wade out into the forest and get a close up view of tree bark and bugs.

And you’re so lost in wonder and exploration that you don’t notice the drop off

Suddenly you’re falling down a steep cliff until you stop with a thud and a lightning bolt of pain in your arm.

What happened? You were drawn away, off the path and enticed to go deeper into the forest.

Was it the forest’s fault? No, you wanted to enjoy the forest and you ignored the sign.

The sign wasn’t trying to make your trip to the park miserable - the sign was there to protect the forest and keep it in good shape to be enjoyed by others and also to protect you from dangers you weren’t prepared for.

And the same is true for God’s ways. They are meant to help us enjoy life and keep us from dangers we don’t understand.

But often we ignore God’s guidance.

More often than walking through the forest, we find ourselves in a situation like this

You didn’t intend to lie to your mom. You meant to obey her when she said you couldn’t have a snack before dinner. But then you thought you’d just look in the kitchen to see what kind of snack you would have had. While doing that you notice some yummy cookies your mom made for dessert. You’re so hungry and they look so good y0u decide no one will notice when you take just one. But Your mom notices and when she asks you you deny knowing anything about it.

You didn’t set out to lie but here you are, wandering off the path of obedience to God and your mom.

When you’re tempted to wander off the path and make a decision to disobey remember that God’s ways are meant to help you enjoy life and keep you from dangers you don’t understand.

Let’s pray.

Intro

Series - Learn from famously bad decisions.

Review

Last 2 weeks - David on verge of terrible decision

After that, 20 years of great decisions (2 Sam 3:36)

In a moment, that track record is changed dramatically.

How does he make such a bad decision?

As we’ll see, he makes himself extra vulnerable.

vulnerable

1 : capable of being physically wounded

2 : open to attack or damage : assailable

Body

David’s despicable decision(s)

Read 2 Sam 11:1-4a

Bathsheba conceives

David tries to cover-up his sin by involving Uriah

David encourages him to visit his wife - He responds in v.11

David gets him drunk - He still did not go hime (v.13)

David tries to cover-up his sin by killing Uriah

Read 2 Sam 11:14-15

David makes himself out to be a good guy in taking in Bathsheba (like with Abigail)

How could this happen?

David is the man after God’s heart

Reminder: People in the Bible are mirrors: If David is vulnerable, we are all vulnerable...

This departure and descent into sin is described perfectly in James 1

James 1:13–15 CSB

13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. 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.

This passage tells us a couple things related to bad decisions

We’re all vulnerable...

Where does this vulnerability come from (source)?

tend to find reasons

blame God

blame others

blame circumstances

source is evil desire

decision is not just sin

but gives birth to something

We’re all vulnerable but bad decisions are not inevitable.

Sin will happen - until Jesus returns we still deal with the presence of sin

But not every sin must happen

You don’t even have to trust Christ to say no to particular sins - every part of pur living is touched by sin but that doesn’t mean that each of us is as bad as we could be.

But Jesus saves us from the power of sin - when he enters a person through faith he makes it possible for us to really change.

Here James uses the image of pregnancy to describe how sin is born.

And this passage shows that temptation to sin leads to the birth of sin.

But it doesn’t have to.

Just because we are tempted to make a sinful decision doesn’t mean we have to act on that desire.

To put a stop to sin it’s helpful to understand that

Our vulnerability follows a familiar path.

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.

How does this vulnerability work itself out (path)?

Kids message described the path

We are drawn away - something gets our attention that cause us to stop paying attention to one thing and instead focus on another.

Then we’re enticed - we see a false promise of something we think either we can’t get on our current path or can’t get fast enough.

And unless something or someone stops our momentum, we’re led deeper and deeper into sin.

And our sin ultimately reproduces.

In a tragic irony, the sin we produced through our evil desire, gives birth to death.

What we foolishly think is life-giving, actually destroys us.

So, how do we protect ourselves against being drawn away and enticed?

To protect against vulnerability, ask yourself:

Drawn away

Where will I go? Place (away - where but also who is there - need people to keep you from being dragged away (lion and water buffalo; watch my six))

David is in a lonely place

“can’t order a friendship” - no door dash, amazon

Enticed

What will I look at? (Sight)

David wasn’t in the best place but there’s no indication that he knew what he’d see on that rooftop.

some things you can’t avoid - kids and reading

But we need to consider what we put in front of our eyes.

David may not have had a choice upon first glance but he made a choice to take a second glance.

Each of us can ask, is it helpful for me to look at these images of seemingly perfectly constructed people and projects?

Ask God for his help

Psalm 119:37 CSB

37 Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in your ways.

What will I think about?Thought

Am I growing more content and happy in Jesus as a result of my pondering?

What should I be doing? must say no to one thing but also say yes to another

“Our heart can only move in one direction at a time” - Bevan

Saying yes to sin means I’m saying no to good things

Instead, let God’s thoughts drive your thinking - memorize

Psalm 119:11 CSB

11 I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.

Drawn away

How long will I stay? (Time)

Sin doesn’t “just happen”

David had time enough to send for Bathsheba and there were numerous points where David should have said “wait, I don’t need to do this”

Don’t buy the lie that just because you’ve started down a sinful path you have to travel the whole way.

But what if you have? What if you’re sitting here right now watching this and a week ago, or a day ago or an hour ago your evil desire gave birth to sin and you know it’s only a matter of time until your sin finds you out?

Let’s look briefly at what happens when David’s sin is exposed.

God reveals D’s sin to Nathan

Nathan confronts D (2 Sam 12:9a)

David repents (2 Sam 12:13)

Psalm 51:1–2 CSB

1 Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. 2 Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.

He’s not just interested in different circumstances, he wants a restored heart.

and God spares David’s life (He had done two things deserving death by the Mosaic law - Lev 20:10, Lev 24:17)

But bloodshed marks David’s family and the rest of David’s reign.

Nonetheless, God also keeps his promise to establish someone from the house of David upon the throne of his kingdom forever.

Bad decisions will derail you, but they don’t have to destroy you.

James goes on to tell us that while our evil desire gives birth to sin and ultimately produces death, God did something wonderfully different.

James 1:18 CSB

18 By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Faith in Jesus will not remove the earthly penalties for sin. We don’t turn to Jesus so that we get to break the rules and know that we’re okay in the end.

Jesus calls us as apprentices into a new kind of life where we walk with and learn from him.

This is life in the light that allows us to confront our bad decisions with God and others, knowing they don’t have to have the final word.

1 John 1:7–10 CSB

7 If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Conclusion

What will I look at? think about? where will I go? and how long will I stay?