Everybody does it. And everybody finds pleasure in it. But most people don’t think about it before they do it. What is it? SIN.
In a recent sermon I decided to talk about David’s sin with Bathsheba. You can read the story in 2 Samuel 11 & 12. Had David known what his sin would do, I’m sure he would have stopped it. So, I hope you think about these three thoughts before you do something you shouldn’t.
I. SIN WILL TAKE YOU FURTHER THAN YOU WANT TO GO!
David was truly one of the great men of all time. But sin deceived David and it was also destructive and deadly. You remember the sad story of David and Bathsheba. On one occasion, when David’s army was out fighting battles for him and the country, David, the king was at home. We’re told that he arose from his bed and walked around the roof of the King’s house. As he looked around he saw Bathsheba, who was bathing. David sent for Bathsheba. He was told that she was married to one of David’s soldiers, Uriah, but despite that, David sent for her and committed adultery with her. I’m sure David never planned to commit adultery with her, but he didn’t stop to realize that sin will take you further than you want to go. Instead of immediately turning away, he kept looking and before that night was over, this godly man and king would sin in a way he never thought he would. That’s what sin does. It may seem so small and insignificant at first, but it continues to gnaw away at your spiritual life & grows until, if left unchecked, leads to your downfall.
II. SIN WILL KEEP YOU LONGER THAN YOU WANT TO STAY!
David commits adultery. Bathsheba gets pregnant. Then David tries to have her husband brought from the battle field to spend some time with his wife to make it appear the baby was his. But Uriah refused to go home while his fellow soldiers were on the battlefield. David then had Uriah put in the front battle line were he is killed. He then married Bathsheba. David probably meant for his affair with Bathsheba to be a “one-night stand.” No doubt he meant to have his “fun” & forget about it. But sin will keep you longer than you want to stay. Had David known his adultery would lead him to murder one of his most loyal soldiers and that his sin would be exposed and he would have to marry the Bathsheba, he would have never have invited that woman into his house. That night when he saw Bathsheba on the roof was just one act, but when sin gets its claws in you and ends up keeping you longer than you want to stay.
III. SIN WILL COST YOU MORE THAN YOU WANT TO PAY!
Look at what it cost David? He became an adulterer and a murderer. The baby that was born to him and Bathsheba died. For a year his intimacy with God was broken. He was shamed as his sin became known throughout the kingdom, in fact beyond that. God pronounced His discipline that the sword would not depart from David’s house. As you read about David’s family you find one of David’s sons, Ammon, rapes his half-sister Tamar. One of David’s other sons, Absalom, kills Ammon for what he did. Later, Absalom, doubled-crossed his father and tried to take the throne away from him and publicly disgraced his father. David paid a tremendous cost for his one night of sin. And sin will cost you more that you want to pay.
Sin is like this story… Sammy was a young boy who lived in the Deep South. His summer days were filled when times of walking through the woods, playing with friends, and fishing in the pond down the road. One summer day Sammy woke up early, picked up his fishing pole and grabbed his pitchfork and worm pail and walked into the woods to search for bait. Under one old stump he hit the jackpot. The ground was writhing. In 2 minutes he had all the bait he needed, and in 15 minutes he was at the pond. Reaching into his bait bucket, Sammy pulled out a big worm. He double hooked it and tossed in into the water. He noticed a stinging in his hand, but filled with the excitement of the moment, he paid no attention to it. Within 30 seconds, Sammy had a strike and pulled in a nice catfish. Wow, he thought, a fish in the first minute. He put the catch on his stringer, hurried to rebait his hook and tried his luck again. Once again he felt a stinging sensation in his hand as he threw his hook into the pond. He didn’t have time to worry about it. Within just a few seconds, he had another huge fish. He fumbled the next time he baited his hook–his hand felt numb and stiff. But Sammy was too excited about catching another fish to give it much thought. At the end of only an hour, Sammy had caught 8 large fish. This was definitely his best fishing day ever. He was so proud of his accomplishment that, even though there was plenty of day left to fish, he threw the heavy stringer of fish over his shoulder and dashed down the road toward home to show off his catch to his parents. The local sheriff happened to drive up alongside Sammy and started to congratulate him on his catch of fish. With a smile and a victory whoop, Sammy held up the stringer. The sheriff gasped, parked his car and ran over to Sammy. His eyes hadn’t deceived him–Sammy’s arms really were red and swollen to about twice their normal size. “Exactly where have you been and what bait did you use to catch all those fish?” the sheriff asked Sammy. “I found some special bait under an old stump,” Sammy boasted. “Thee worms really wiggle good,” handing up the bucket for inspection. After a close look at the worms, the sheriff went into fast-forward. Putting the bucket in the car, he swooped up Sammy made a U-turn on the dirt road and sped off to the hospital, but Sammy was already dead. What the sheriff had discovered was that Sammy had been fishing with baby rattlesnakes. Sammy’s deadly bait brought him a good morning of fishing but cost him his life. Had Sammy stopped fishing after that first sting, he could have been saved. But Sammy was having to much fun and didn’t bother himself with the small voice of pain in his hand. Then, as the hand grew numb, even that voice was silenced. Playing around and not dealing with sin is like using baby rattlesnakes for bait. It may seem harmless but it’s putting its venom in you and it will affect you because: