Download Secret Sin (Chris Luyt) – Sunday Sermon Notes 12 June 2016

Sunday Eucharist, St. Michaels, 12 June 2016
2 Sam. 11:26-12:15; Psalm 32; Galatians 2:15-21; Luke 7:36-8:3
Secret Sin
Chris Luyt
Cover-up
When we have done something really bad, we tell ourselves that if we
cover it up and ignore it, it will go away.
David was God’s anointed king – the king after God’s own heart. David
was chosen and taken by God -from tending his sheep and playing his
harp- to be the shepherd of His people Israel and a light to the
surrounding pagan world (Ps. 78:70-72).
Who would have thought that this young man with so much promise,
sensitivity and care (the young man who, despite many attempts on his
life, would not dream of laying a finger on corrupt King Saul), would
end up guilty (in a matter of a few short days) of four of the most
insidious sins on earth – manipulation, adultery, murder and deceit –
and against a foreigner who was absolutely loyal to him and to God.
In the first verse of our Samuel reading, David has convinced himself
that he has sown up any loose ends that may expose his sin. He
hypocritically allows Bathsheba to mourn her husband’s passing and
then conveniently takes her under his wing. All but David’s general,
Joab, would have applauded his overwhelming generosity – to take on
a soldier’s widow and ‘son’.
Unfortunately for David, God wasn’t fooled… and He wasn’t happy
either.
Slippery Slope
Serious sin seldom happens in an instant. It is often the result of a long,
slow process of poor choices that may reach a sudden, critical, and
irreversible head. David had put himself in the wrong place by not
being where he should have been (he should have been on the
battlefield with his men); David had not resisted temptation (he
continued to gaze at Bathsheba as she bathed on her rooftop instead
of walking away); David allowed temptation to grow into desire and
action (he asked someone to enquire about her and then sent
messengers to bring her to his room). At this point, David had landed
himself on a slippery slope.
James explains that, in this kind of situation, “…each person is tempted
when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then
after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fullgrown, it gives birth to death” (James 1:14-15).
Consequences
As Christians in the ‘modern’ world, we find ourselves increasingly
pressured by a cultural spirit that mocks morality. We may think it’s
funny – that the (now endangered) moral voices in our midst are overthinking, over-fussing. Men and women, and sadly, now, boys a girls,
consent to sleeping with one another outside of the security of the
marriage covenant not realizing that they are throwing away, piece-bypiece, the vital, and only, force they have for keeping their future
marriages, families, children and communities whole.
Guys think it’s a harmless joke when they scroll through pornography
without realizing that with every click, they are irrevocably conditioning
their perception of women; reducing them from people created in
God’s image to an inanimate means for self-gratification.
Women enjoy the illusory boost to their sense of self-worth, bank
accounts, wardrobes, jewelry boxes and garages, and their need to
control… by playing ‘games’ with married men and passing it off as
harmless flirtation.
There are books, websites, magazines and blogs trending with column
after ‘harmless’ column designed to support a growing disregard for
the sanctity of godly male-female engagement.
Like David, we begin to believe, that we can involve ourselves in this
way of thinking, without any harm being done. And all the while, God is
warning us that there is a point of no return, marked by a line that can
be crossed before you even know it.
A Medicine called Confession
God knows we are all weak. The apostles of the early church knew it
too – many by painful personal experience. Paul once wrote: “Brothers,
if someone is caught in sin, you who are spiritual should restore him
gently. But watch yourselves or you also may be tempted” (Gal. 6:1).
James wrote: “Is anyone of you in trouble? Is anyone of you sick? He
should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him
with oil in the name of the Lord… if he has sinned he will be forgiven.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so
that you may be healed… Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his
way will save him from death and resolve a multitude of sins” (James
5:13-20).
God sent Nathan the prophet to confront David in his sin because God
knew that if He didn’t, David, just like his predecessor, King Saul, would
deteriorate beyond recovery.
done ourselves rather than approaching us in an accusatory way.
Notice how this method of conviction carried over into the early church
(Gal. 6:1), and should characterize the way we handle serious sin in the
modern church too. This is not so much about exposing someone
(unless they are unrelenting and harmful to others), it’s about saving
them psychologically, physically, spiritually, and relationally.
Penitence not Perfection
This is what Paul means when he says, in our Galatians reading, that a
man must be justified in Christ and not by the law. In other words, no
one of us is sinless enough to earn our own salvation by perfectly
observing God’s moral laws (see James 2:8-13). Remember how Jesus
confronted the Pharisees in their hypocrisy, over the woman caught in
adultery, by instructing the guiltless one among them to throw the first
stone. Thankfully they had enough sense (and ego) not to expose
themselves to public humiliation. But by saying this, Jesus actually
qualified Himself to punish the woman – in line with the Old Testament
Mosaic Law (Lev. 20:10). Did he throw the stone? Did he condone her
adultery? We are all saved through confession, repentance and God’s
unconditional forgiveness (justification).
However, the fact that we are so justified does not give us a license to
keep sinning against God’s moral law (Gal. 3:17 cf. Rom. 6:1-7). Our
psalm today makes a few things about sin and confession crystal clear:

The conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 15:17-11) and our confession of
sin to someone else are very painful and fearful experiences, but, like a
life-saving operation, they prevent us from permanent spiritual,
psychological, physical and relational destruction.


Slowly Slowly Catchy Shepherd
Thankfully, God is not only determined, against all odds, to save us, but
He is gentle too. God prefers to help us own up to the wrong we have
A person who sins does not have to be deceitful about their
transgression
To hide our sin, especially when it affects others around us, will rot
the moral fibre of our spiritual bones – imagine trying to walk
around with vrot bones
Unconfessed sin never remains silent – it will hammer away at your
conscience causing chronic inner negativity, depression, insomnia,
chronic fatigue and mental breakdown. Do you struggle with any of
these? It’s no wonder that James equates physical healing with the
confession of sin.




God always forgives confessed sin, no matter how bad it is. God
never forgives unconfessed sin, no matter how small it is.
God, and God alone, has the power to help you withstand the
rising waters of temptation and sin. God not only gives us power
and victory if we turn to Him in confession, He will also teach and
counsel us and watch over us by the power of the Holy Spirit. If you
quench the Holy Spirit within you, as He seeks to reinforce your
conscience, there will be no hope for you (Heb. 6:4-12).
The stubborn non-confessor (likened to a mule) will fill his/her life
with trouble. But the humble confessor can rely on God.
No matter what sin you have committed, if you come clean with
God, you will taste genuine joy once again.
He who is forgiven much loves much…
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus demonstrates the most
extraordinary attribute of God – His willingness to touch and be
touched by… to be truly and thoroughly intimate with… those who
have committed the worst sins but are deeply and genuinely sorry,
and who long to spend the rest of their lives doing the right thing.
In His approach to this woman, created in His very image, He is
calling upon those of us who think we are better than anybody else,
to love the penitent radically, unconditionally and generously.
If you are running from God today… running from the need to
confess your sin… would you not rather come to God in truth…
come clean… own up to your sin… seek reconciliation with those
that you have hurt… and hear Jesus’ life giving words to you today:
“Your sins are forgiven… your willingness to trust me with your sin
and pain has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:48, 50).