Nearly 20 years ago a guy set out to sail across the Atlantic single handed. At the time, he was considered to be one of the world's best yachtsmen and in the fall of 1992, Michael Plant he set out on his solo voyage He was headed for France
He had a state-of-the-art yacht called it The Coyote and it was equipped with the best navigation equipment money could buy, With one press of a button, its emergency global positioning locator could bounce a signal via satellite to either of two ground locations. That way, people knew exactly where he was even in the middle of the Atlantic. The Coyote was the most fail-safe vessel of its kind.
But on the fourth day of his voyage, the ground locators lost contact with the Coyote. The Atlantic was cutting rough with severe storms and high seas, and it was assumed that Plant was busy – dealing with the storm - and that would soon regain contact. But he never did.
Search-and-rescue squads were sent to his last known location all to no avail. Commercial airliners were asked to monitor their emergency channels just in case Plant was broadcasting for help.10 days later his boat was found, 400 miles off the Azores. The Coyote was floating upside down. Now, if there’s one position where a 1992 state of the art global positioning locator won’t be of much use, it's when its upside down and sending its signals to the bottom of the sea.
They recovered the Coyotee– but Michael Plant was never seen again.
The problem was the yacht had suffered a broken keel. No one knows whether the boat hit some ocean debris, a submarine or even a whale, but either way, the ballast had been broken off and that left the boat without any weight in the keel. See, the ballast was an 8,000-pound weight, and it was that weight that made it one of the safest boats on the water. Even if the boat capsized, the design of the ballast would cause the boat to roll upright again. But without the weight in the keel, the Coyote was no match for the severe Atlantic storms
Here’s the point: for a boat to have stability in a storm, there has to be more weight beneath the waterline than above it.
Without ballast, a boat can look fine in the calm waters of the harbor or the marina. But without any weight in its keel, the boat’s cant go out in to the deep.
Now, that applies to human beings – just as much as it does to any boat and in the case of you and me. Its our Character that’s the weight beneath the waterline of life! And that’s exactly where people get themselves into trouble
Now according to the stories my Granddad used to tell me, during the war, my Grandma and Granddad kept a few chickens at home. It wasn’t uncommon for some of these chickens to wander in through the backdoor they were kind of pets. Each day, Grandma or granddad or maybe my mom or her brother would go search the back yard – and they would collect the fresh eggs
Now during the war in England a lot of things – including fresh food like eggs and meat were in short supply and stuff was rationed. You were only allowed to buy a limited amount of certain things and so from time to time if there were no coupons left in their ration book they’d grab a chicken for Sunday lunch… Anyway, here’s the point: although those chickens were allowed to wander freely and they’d spend the day scratching around in the back yard, at a certain time in the late afternoon, from wherever they were, those chickens would stop their scratching and begin to head back to their roost.
They might wander here and there during the day, but they always went to the roost when evening came. The Bible has something to say about that to: theres a verse in the Old Testament (Num. 32:23) and it says this:
“…and you may be sure that your sin will find you out,”
Now, that’s not a threat. It’s not even a promise. It is just a statement of fact.
Here’s the point I want you to get. Just like those chickens could be depended on to head back to the roost at night, you can be sure of the fact that your sins will come home to roost too. Or at least the consequences of your sin will come back to plague you.
Think about David’s sin with Bathsheba.
David’s sin evolved from the moment it was conceived until it the moment it was committed, and then we see how that sin was confronted and finally confessed. But tonight I want to dig a bit deeper and look at the consequences of sin as they related to David and his family
I want to talk about what happens when your chickens come home to roost.
I want to show you what we can expect because when we allow sin to flourish in our lives there are always consequences
and they consequences are usually very unpleasant.
2 Samuel 12: 7-18 The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife.
10 From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done,
I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”
Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. 14
Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the Lord by doing this, your child will die.”
After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife. David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused.
Then on the seventh day the child died. David’s advisers were afraid to tell him. “He wouldn’t listen to reason while the child was ill,” they said. “What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?”
When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. “Is the child dead?” he asked.
Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”
David’s just an important spiritual principle
And he’s learned it the hard way and it’s a principle that hold true in the life of everyone of us: Here’s the principle – you might want to write this down:
“God always instantly and completely forgives sin when there is confession and genuine repentance; but He does not remove the consequences of our sins.”
God forgave David’s sin in verse 13:
Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.
Now, that’s Grace! David had confessed, he’d repented and he’d been forgiven. BUT, he still had to face the consequences of his actions. And that’s reality! And you can see the same principle over and over again in the Bible.
Adam, sinned, but the consequences cost him Eden and his life. Moses sinned and the consequence was he never entered the Prom Land. Abraham sinned. He brought Hagar out of Egypt and paid a price,. Jacob tricked his brother and his father and then he met Laban, who in turn tricked him big time. And I could go on and on. But here’s the thing: this isn’t just Old Testament law . The principle’s clearly repeated in the New Testament. What does it say in Gal. 6:7-8.
Those verses teach us three truths:
1.) You always reap exactly what you sow.
2.) You always reap more than you sow. And
3.) You’ll reap what you sow in this life.
These are what I call grace verses! They’re not written for Old Testament people. They were written to New Testament believers.
Here is the concept: Confession and repentance do not cancel the harvest! If you sow it, you will reap it! Somehow or another we’ve come to believe that if we confess our sins, it’ll be as if they never happened. This is just not what the Bible says Yes, God gives us bucket loads of His grace, but His grace means that we don’t get to die for our sins,
Grace means that we’ll have God’s help to face the consequences. Grace means that we’re free to come into line with God’s plan for our lives. But, grace never means that we’re getting let off the hook! Where and whenever we sow sin, we always reap a bitter harvest
One of our problems in dealing with sin is the fact that we learn 1 John 1:9
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness
long before we learn Romans 6:12-13.
Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
We learn that God will forgive us for our sins before we ever learn that we do not have to commit the sin in the first place,
1 Cor. 10:13. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
As so as a result, we’re trained and programmed to sin! We think we can do it, confess it and walk away from it. Well, we are 100% wrong! Remember this principle:
God always instantly and completely forgives sin when there is confession and genuine repentance; but He does not remove the consequences of our sins.”
My advice is that we all learn it, memorize it, remember it and live by it from this moment on! Remember Romans and Corinthians come long before 1 john!
Now for all you folk who are filled with good intentions: watch this this is a really, really important point:
2 Samuel 13:1-3 (KJV) Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. And Amnon, her half brother, fell desperately in love with her. Amnon became so obsessed with Tamar that he became ill. She was a virgin, and Amnon thought he could never have her. But Amnon had a very crafty friend—his cousin Jonadab. He was the son of David’s brother Shimea.
Amnon was the eldest son of King David, he was the rightful heir to the throne of Israel. He lived in the palace and had everything anyone could ever need. His bright future was assured by his imperial lineage. But behind the image Amnon was a fraud!
Amnon had a dark secret that he was fighting to deal with. He was consumed with lust for his half-sister Tamar. He couldn’t just court her because that was a relationship forbidden by God’s law, but he thought about it, and he thought about it until it got to the point that that was all he could think about day and night.
Now, ever sin the Garden of Eden mankind has been plagued with something and that’s this - we tend to want the forbidden fruit. In fact, the more unavailable something is the more we want it. We see something we want – and even though its not ours to have it doesn’t stop us wanting it
Amnon had no clue that he was already trapped in the deadly cycle of sin. One commentator I read called it “the cycle of LSD” – lust, sin, death.
James 1:14-15 (KJV) But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Amnon thought that just because everything looked OK on the outside, he was doing okay. His name meant “faithful” but he was only being faithful outwardly where everyone could see it. While all the time on the inside he was being unfaithful to his father, to his family, to himself and to God.
Now here’s the problem. His guilt wasn’t particularly because he was struggling - everyone has struggles! The problem was because he wasn’t being honest about his struggles before God.
Now, the most ridiculous thing I ever see people do - and I see it all the time- is when people attempt to “hide” from the God they know can read their every thought!
All that was holding Amnon back was his “royal reputation” – he knew that he couldn’t risk publicly what he was thinking about privately.
Left to himself, himself, maybe Amnon would never have carried through his fantasy . Maybe he didn’t want to trash his reputation. Maybe he knew his lust was wrong before God, Maybe the warning of his conscience would have been enough to hold him back for a few years until Tamar was married and beyond his reach.
BUT AMNON HAD A FRIEND!
Jonadab was the nephew of King David; here’s the thing, he hung around with the royal family, but he wasn’t in line for the throne.
The Bible says that he was a very subtle or crafty man. His name meant “Jehovah gives” and he made a mockery out of its meaning by convincing his friend Amnon that God would allow him to sin and get by, that God would “give” him his desire even though it was wrong.
So, under the influence of Jonadab, Amnon carried out a plan to rape his own half-sister. He shamed her, he shamed himself, he shamed his father, and he shamed his whole family. And through his selfishness, he scarred Tamar for the rest of her life. n the process, He also unwittingly destroyed himself, because Tamar’s brother Absalom would eventually seek revenge and kill him.
By himself, maybe Amnon could have held out against temptation. BUT AMNON HAD A FRIEND!
The name Tamar meant “palm tree.” Palm trees have long tap roots that go deep underground to hidden sources of water; that’s why they survive even in desert conditions. In Scripture, palm trees represent victory (that’s why people waved palm branches at Jesus’ triumphal entry and why the redeemed will do it in eternity according to the book of Revelation) By listening to the advice of a conniving friend, by following the counsel of someone who was familiar with the palace, but not part of the royal family, Amnon utterly destroyed his “VICTORY.”
Meanwhile, Jonadab walked away unscathed by the whole sordid mess. The Bible says that he was still lurking about the palace 2 years later when Amnon’s killed by Absalom; in fact, the irony is that it’s Jonadab that brings the news of his death to David! What a “friend” he was!
1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV) Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."
Now, In chemistry, a catalyst is a substance that assists a chemical reaction without taking part in it.For example …Try to set a sugar cube on fire. It will bubble and melt, but as soon as you remove the match any flame generated will go out. But, if you rub a small amount of ash on the cube it’ll catch fire and burn steadily. It’s not the ash that is burning though -It’s acting as a catalyst while remaining unchanged itself.
Talk to anyone who has fallen into destructive lifestyles and sinful habits, and 99 times out of 100, you’ll find a “friend” somewhere in the shadows! It’s hard to put a finger on the exact details of their influence, but it’s easy for the spiritually discerning to detect the “catalyst” at work!
How and when did you first start doing drugs? Well, see I had this friend …
When did you start smoking? I had a friend …
When did you first look at pornography? I had a friend …
When did you first start criticizing the church? I had a friend …
When did you stop listening to your pastor? I had this friend whom told me all about him…
Here’s the deal: SHOW ME YOUR FRIENDS AND I’LL SHOW YOU YOUR FUTURE!
Amos 3:3 (KJV) Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
Proverbs 13:20 (MSG) Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.
James 4:4 (NIV) You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
It’s time for us all to get some new spiritual ballast below the waterline!
When David sinned with Bathsheba and then attempted to cover up that sin by having Uriah murdered, he unleashed a firestorm of tragedy in his own life and in his family. Things would never be the same in David’s life or home ever again
Let me give you a brief overview of the pain David endured for the moment of pleasure he enjoyed.
1. David suffered the death of his baby son
2. David’s eldest son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar
3. David’s son Absalom grew to hate Amnon
4. Absalom conspires to have Amnon killed
5. Absalom flees from his father and the two are estranged for some 5 years.
6. Absalom leads a public rebellion against David
7. Absalom publicly disgraces David by committing adultery with David’s concubines on top of the King’s palace
8. Absalom is murdered by David’s nephew Joab
And that’s what the effect that sin will can have in our lives! David’s sin affected his family more than it did anyone else.
After all the smoke had cleared and the dust had settled, amongst other things he had:
· four dead sons,
· a kingdom in shambles,
· disgraced wives,
· a tarnished reputation,
· a disgraced daughter,
· and a trusted counselor who committed suicide,
Even though it was David who sinned, his sin impacted totally innocent people. That infant child and Tamar were both innocent consequences of David’s sin! But, it also affected David! Psalm 41 says it ruined his name . And Psalm 55:4 says It caused him constant grief and heartache
Have you ever stopped and thought about what could happen in your life?
Have you thought what the fallout would be if you fell into sin? Have you considered what might happen nd which lives might get ruined if you stepped away from the Lord into sin?
Don’t think for a moment that your sins won’t affect the innocent people around you. Don’t think for a minute that you can do as you please and affect no one else. You are deceiving yourself if you believe that!
People today are praying a high price for their sins! Sin has the power to cripple you and destroy you, if you allow it to get a foothold in your life. Whatever you have to do to be free of your sin is exactly what you need to do!
Here is how Jesus put it, Mark 9:43-48.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’
Even as all this stuff unfolds in David’s life, we can see the evidence of God’s hand at work. Even though David had to face the consequences for his sins, he was still God’s man. And, God was at work in his heart.
Yes, David paid a high price, but he also came out of these dark days with a changed heart with restoration and with humility. Because he faced his sin like a man God gave him grace to make it through the consequences!
Through out all this whole dark mess the one glimmer of hope for you and me it is the fact that God brought David through it all and restored him to the throne.
If God did it for David, He will do it for you! God will never desert you,
He’ll walk with you even as you face the consequences of your rebellion against Him. He’ll give you His grace to get you through the pain and that heartache of your sin, and, He will be standing there to receive you when you come to your senses and head for home,
I wish I could tell you that when you get saved you’d never fail God again. We all know if I said something like that - it would be a lie. But, I can promise you this: when you do fail, God will help you go through the processes of confession, repentance restoration. He’ll even keep you through the dreadful consequences that sin brings into your life.
And that’s the promise of grace. it doesn’t take much sin to leave an eternal mark on a life, on a family, on a community
or even on a nation.
David learned this lesson the hard way. Some of you’ve learned it too. And some are in the process of seeing your chickens come home to roost.
While sin always carries a great price tag,it doesn’t have to be as bad as it could be.
If there is unconfessed sin in your life, I challenge you to take it to Jesus, confess it, repent of it, and pray for grace to face the consequences of it.
If you are reaping a bitter harvest today, take it to the Lord and submit to what He is doing in your life.
If things are right between you and God ask for His help in avoiding the horrors of sin.
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