Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
-2 Samuel 12:14 (King James Version)
The past few days, we've been studying about the downward spiral that sin takes us on when we fall into it. We've been studying the story of David and Bathsheba. We've discussed 2 of the 3 steps in this downward spiral, step 1 the desire to sin and the sin itself, and step 2 was the cover up for the sin. Today, we're going to look at step 3, the results of the sin. Remember this, you can't hide your sin, and you can't cover it up either. David tried, and it didn't work.
We read in Second Samuel 12:14, "Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die" Among the results of his sin the child will die. I don't think there is a parent anywhere in this world that wants their child to die. Scripture goes on to tell us that David fasted, and pleaded with the Lord to spare the child, but God did not. Sin has consequences, even when we've received forgiveness for those sins.
One of the parts of this verse that jumps out at me is this: "by this deed thou has given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme," What a statement-have you ever thought of sin in that way. Because of David's adultery with Bathsheba, and then the murder of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, David opened the door for others to curse God, to show contempt for God, to disrespect God. Not that those outside the faith need any more reason to do those things, but when someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ falls into the same sins as everyone else, it gives opportunity for those who haven't given their lives to God, to curse Him, to laugh at Him. We, as Christians, seem to walk around with our nose in the air like we're something special. Then, when we sin, we use the phrase "Well, I'm just a sinner that is saved by grace." My friends, that statement is nothing more than a "cop out." The fact is: all of us, those who proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Savior and those who don't, are sinners. Period. The only difference between a Christian and anyone else is that we're forgiven. But, that forgiveness doesn't equate a license to do what we please. So many "Christians" have one foot in the church, and one foot in the world. Then, when they fall into sin, the search out a verse in the Bible to downplay the sin.
Take this example: since we're talking about David's sin of adultery anyway. Yesterday I shared some statistics of adultery. Stats for both those in the church and out of the church. Those in the church usually condemn those outside of the church for marital unfaithfulness. We Christians put on our "holier than thou" attitudes and slam them for the sin of adultery. Yet, the very same things are happening right in the midst of our sanctuaries. And we dismiss them as "we're just sinners saved by grace." Sin has consequences.
Friends, opportunity to sin is all around us. Don't give sin a place in your life. Don't let a sin take root in your thoughts or your heart. Don't allow it to grow and fester. Most importantly, don't give into it. Do you have sin you must confess today? Pray, give it to God, and receive His forgiveness. Think About It.
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