"Secret Sins"
The Valley of Calamity • Sermon • Submitted
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· 11 viewsOne of the greatest markers for recovery, whether it be from addictions, or from cancer, is spiritual well-being. Studies show that there is direct correlation between how one views their standing before God, and recovery from disease. In other words, if a patient feels that their wrongs can be forgiven by God, then recovery is swifter, and the patient is more likely to recover. However, if the patient feels that his/her wrongs are too great for even God to forgive, then recovery is longer, or nonexistent. This series will explore the lessons learned from the Book of Hosea to lay the groundwork to appreciate Resurrection Sunday in a new and greater way. The fear of punishment for wrongs is a great one - especially if God be the judge. The grace of the Cross helps us battle that fear, and hear the words, "do not fear" in a whole new way.
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Transcript
A Tale of Two Secrets...
A Tale of Two Secrets...
Chapter 1 - The unreal, real estate deal
Chapter 1 - The unreal, real estate deal
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.
With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.
Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”
“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
Chapter 2 - A good boy gone bad
Chapter 2 - A good boy gone bad
The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say.
The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate.
Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.”
David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”
When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.
After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.
Chapter 3 - Caught
Chapter 3 - Caught
The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.
The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle,
but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!
He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.
Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.
Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
“This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.
You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’ ”
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.”
A lot of takeaways:
A lot of takeaways:
1. Secret sins are never really secret
1. Secret sins are never really secret
2. There are repercussions
2. There are repercussions
3. Repentance is big in God’s eyes
3. Repentance is big in God’s eyes
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Why we remember
Why we remember
