The Continuing Consequences of Our Conduct - Part 1

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Monday, July 10. Today we continue to look at the way David's life was impacted after his sin with Bathsheba.

Stay with us for a practical lesson about the continuing consequences of our conduct. In the book of Matthew chapter 18, in discussing the consequences of his conduct. You recall in chapter 11 that David had reached the pinnacle of his ministry.

He had been a king for 20 years in the nation of Israel. Been through all kinds of difficulties and heartaches, but triumphed over all of them. And in a moment of weakness, he saw Bathsheba taken a bath. He called it to himself. He went to bed with her, as the modern day lingo would say. And as a result, that was the beginning of a long period of heartache and consequences. And I want to say to you this evening, here is the most perfect example of the cost of one violation of God's principles. And no man ever paid such a price for one night's pleasure as David paid.

It ought to be a lesson and a challenge and a warning to every single one of us that instant pleasure brings continuing consequences for our sin. So the 11th chapter gives an account of that. And then the 12th chapter begins, and the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came to him and said unto him, There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.

The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. And so he gave him a parable of how one man took advantage of another one. And so when he came to the end of that parable, David was so angry, he said that I ought to be killed.

And as a result, of course, of the parable, the scripture says in verse 7, And Nathan said to David, David, thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul. I gave thee thy master's house and thy master's wives and of thy bosom and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah. And if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto these such things.

That is, just about anything you wanted. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed you rile the Hittite with the sword. You've taken his wife to be thy wife. You've slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house. I will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this son. But thou did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.

He fulfilled that promise absolutely and exactly and precisely, and I want to show you tonight. And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die.

Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born under thee shall surely die. Now, in reality, David's primary sin was the sin of adulterate Bathsheba. Everything else that happened to him happened to him as a result of that. But the second thing he did, of course, was he had Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, killed in battle. And then out of a covetous heart, he took Bathsheba to be his wife. What happened as a result? What are the consequences of David's sin? So what I want to do is to take you through Chapter 11 through 18 momentarily and then come back to look at the principles that you and I need to examine here.

All right. First of all, what was the first consequence of David's sin against Bathsheba? Well, the first thing was that Bathsheba became pregnant, and you can only hide that for a little while.

Nobody knew what was happening. And yet she became pregnant and she sent the word, the scripture says in the Chapter 11. She told David in verse five, she said, I am with child. So that's the first consequence that he had to face. The second consequence he had to face was in Chapter 12 in verse seven, when Nathan, the prophet, God's prophet, who had been a prophet and who had been a counselor to David, came to him and gave him this parable about the man with the lamb. And he said to David, David, you are the man.

Thou art the man. So the second consequence was that God's prophet exposed David's sin to David. And it didn't take that long to permeate the whole household of David. The third consequence of his sin, Nathan told him what that consequence would be. He says, Your enemies are going to blaspheme your God. When the enemies of Israel hear about this, that the king is committed adultery and has had the husband of the woman killed in battle. What are they going to do?

But they are going to encourage themselves against the nation of Israel. The fourth thing that happens here in Chapter 12 is that the baby dies in verse 18. The child died. Then the next thing that happens and here's where David's sins begin to catch up with him exactly as he committed them. Chapter 13 says, if you'll notice in verse one, it came to pass after this that Absalom, who was David's son, the son of David, had a fair sister whose name was Tamar and Amnon, the son of David, loved her. So Amnon wants Tamar. And so he doesn't know how to work that out. So one of his friends in verse three, Jonadab, Jonadab was his name, a very subtle man. He said, Look, here's what you do.

You play like you're sick. Ask her to bring you some food minister to you. And when you do, then you commit immorality with her. So he works all of this out. And the scripture says in verse 14 that he forced her or he raped his half sister or part sister, one of David's children. Well, is this not exactly what David had done to Bathsheba? He took her unto himself and he went to bed with her. Whether she wanted to or not, the scripture does not say.

But he forced her. He had the right to do it in his own eyes because he was king and the king was sovereign. But David knew that he was also subject to Almighty God who looked upon that not only as being displeasing to God, but a sinful act against God. But here's David's son doing the very same thing that David had done.

All right. The result of that, the next thing that happens is in Chapter 13 again, David's consequence coming back to him. Absalom plotted to kill Amnon. He told his servants, he said, Now we're going to get the king's servants together.

We're going to get them drunk. And he says, When I give you the word, you kill Amnon. Verse 28 of Chapter 13, Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, when I say to you, smite Amnon, then kill him.

Fear not, have not I commanded you to be courageous and to be valiant? So he kills him. As a result of that, in Chapter 14, Absalom flees for his life and he leaves Jerusalem.

And then he finally comes back. But he's not able to see King David for two years in the 14th chapter in the 28th verse. So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and so not the king's face because he was responsible for killing Amnon. The next thing that happens is in Chapter 15 is that Absalom becomes a little tired of being separated from the king. So he starts a rebellion and he rebels against his own father, divides the nation of Israel, and the people begin to follow him. Verse 13 of Chapter 15, And there came a message to David saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. And so as a result of that, the next thing that happens in Chapter 15, David is forced to flee Jerusalem for his life.

Here he was the king and all of a sudden his son has caused the rebellion and now he's having to flee for his life. Well, the next thing that happens here, if you'll notice in Chapter 16, verse 21 says, And then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do. And Ahithophel is one of his counselors along with some other people here. And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, the tent that he left back there at his household, which he's left to keep the house. And all Israel shall hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong. So here's what they did.

They spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house. And Absalom went in and committed adultery with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. Now that's exactly what God said through Nathan was going to happen to him.

Now this is one night of pleasure. He's had to kill one man to cover up for it. The baby died and then like dominoes, one, two, three, right down the line, everywhere David turns, he finds himself suffering from the consequence of one sin. Then the scripture says in chapter 17. Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men and I will rise and pursue after David this night. I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed and will make him afraid. And all the people that are with him shall flee and I will smite the king. That is, Ahithophel says, If you'll give me twelve thousand men, I'll trace your father David down. I'll find him in a weak moment.

I will kill him. David got word of what was happening. And so the scripture says that Joab, who has been his right hand man through all these years and years of fighting against Saul, and now he's been a king for 20 years, Joab heard about it.

So as a result of Absalom agreeing and sending Ahithophel and his troops, the troops of David and the troops of Ahithophel began battle. And the scripture says that Absalom had long hair. He was galloping through the forest and his hair caught on the limb, jerked him off his horse, and there he was hanging and he couldn't get down. Nothing he could do about it. So someone came and told Joab, he said, Absalom has been caught by his hair. He's hanging and he's helpless.

The messenger said, But I wouldn't dare touch him. Joab said, Tell me where he is. And so the scripture says that they told him in verse 14 of chapter 18 said, And Joab said, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts, or three javelins, and he thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. But you see, David couldn't say a whole lot about that because isn't that exactly what he did to Uriah?

Only he had somebody else to do his dirty work for him. So I've listed for you twelve consequences of one night's pleasure. And the Bible says, Be sure your sin will do what? Will find you out. Friend, if you think you're going to sin against God and get away with it, you couldn't be further from the truth.

There is no way. You say, Yeah, but you know, I've done some things that nobody's heard about you. You haven't heard the rest of the sermon. Because there is absolutely no way to escape disobedience in violation of God's Word. And when I look to see the kind of immorality that has taken this country and people are saying, Well, you know, after all, what consequences are there? We don't see any consequences.

They're all over the place and they're multiplying every day. Now, there are lots of questions that rise as a result of the title of this message. And that is the continuing consequences of our conduct. Now, our conduct can be good. And when our conduct is good, the consequences will be good. You could take almost all of these things and turn around for something good.

But I'm giving this as a warning, not necessarily as an encouragement, but a warning. So I want to give you seven statements. I want you to write them all down.

Every single one of them is important. And, Dad, I want you to get them down and teach them to your children. If you'll take this passage and rivet this truth into your kids' minds. At first they'll say, Oh, Dad, you know, you must think I'm going out and get myself in trouble. No, son, I'm going to tell you this so you won't do it.

Not because I think you're going to, but because I don't want you to. I want to give you an honest, fair biblical warning of the consequences of sin. And listen, it's bad to sin whether you're 15, 25, 45, 60, or 75. But there are some things when you become involved in at an early age, it'll wreck your whole life. All right, now let's think about something so you won't get confused now.

Let's look at the background for a moment. We're talking about one man's sin. We're talking about the consequences of that sin. Now listen, all sin is not alike. All sin won't have 12 consequences.

Some of them will have more than that. And I want you to listen carefully so, because you're going to have two or three questions that I'm going to answer in these seven statements. So I want you to write them down and then let's discuss them.

All right, the first one is this. That the continuing consequences of our sin, and if you want to abbreviate that after the first statement CCS, the continuing consequences of our sin is a biblical principle. You cannot avoid it and you cannot escape it. And I want to tell you why I want to say that strong in a moment. But if you recall in Galatians chapter six and beginning in verse seven, he says, Be not deceived.

Now watch that. Be not deceived. This world is totally deceived. If you think because nobody knows about your sin that you've gotten away with it, you are deceived. If you think because you've committed the same thing three or four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten times, and it looks like you're not suffering and you think you've gotten away with it, you are deceived. Be not deceived. God is not mocked because a man who thinks he's getting away with sin is mocking God. God, you said I couldn't, but ha ha ha. Yes, I did.

Nobody knows it better than me and nobody's suffering. I've gotten away with it. He says, if you think you've gotten away with sin, he says, God is not mocked. You are deceived, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he what? Reap. Now let me give you my little three points on that that I give you all the time.

Maybe you can remember. We reap what? We reap what we sow?

What? More than we sow and what? Later than we sow. And isn't that exactly true of David? He reaped what he sowed?

Murder, adultery, deceit. He reaped more than he sowed one night and the next 20 years of his life he suffered. And he reaped later than he sowed. He was reaping years after he had sown. Now, you and I need to understand that the reason that's true, if you and I can get away with sin, we are mocking God. God says you cannot.

We say, oh, yes, we did. That is to mock God. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap. So that the continuing consequences of our sin is a biblical principle and it cannot be altered under any circumstance by anybody regardless of who you are because it is a decree of God.

Second statement. CCS, the continuing consequences of sin is an act of divine chastisement. It is an act of divine chastisement to correct us.

The continuing consequences of sin is a divine act of chastisement to correct us. Now, look, if you will, in Romans, Hebrews chapter 12 for a moment. You recall what he says about our attitude toward the Lord's chastisement. He says in verse five, Have you forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as unto children? My son despises not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and he scourges every man whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God be with you as with sons.

For what son is he whom the Father chasteth not? Now, the reason God sends continuous consequences for our sin is in order to do what? To correct us. If He didn't, what would we do? We just keep on doing the same old thing. We would mock God. If God didn't send His chastening hand to trace us down, we keep on doing the same old thing. And I'm going to tell you, my friend, God's chastising hand usually doesn't come the way you expected, when you expected, or the manner in which you had expected to come.

It is oftentimes in the most unexpected ways, the most unexpected timing. But God sends these continuing consequences to do what? To catch us, stop us dead in our track, and turn us around, or we keep on doing the same old thing. So listen, the consequences, watch this, the consequences of our sin is an act of love on the part of God to stop us dead in our track and correct us. Listen, not to punish us. Punishment is what God does to the wicked.

To children, He chastens us. Listen, punishment is vindication because of sin and disobedience. Chastisement always has as its ultimate goal, correction, correction, not anger, correction. Chastisement is an act of love. The ultimate objective is correction. Thank you for listening to the continuing consequences of our conduct. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.