The High Cost of Low Living

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: 2 Samuel 11Children of God are just as capable of sinning as they were before they were saved. However, there is a much greater cost to their sin than before.King David was a man above every other man—none more noble, gifted, or humble than David; yet he fell into a deep, dark sin. David committed the sin of adultery with a married woman, and she conceived his child. So, David then committed the sin of murder.We need to know the tragic cause of David’s sin, so that we may know how to avoid the high cost of low living.First, David committed the sin of idleness. 2 Samuel 11 reveals that David was home when he should have been with his compatriots in war. This is why we are called to the harvest field or the battlefield, to stay occupied, lest we commit a sin of omission.Second, it was a sin of carelessness. David began to take his many victories for granted. He presumed God would keep blessing him. This teaches us that an unguarded strength is a double weakness.It was a sin of impulsiveness: David wasn’t planning to sin that day.Adrian Rogers explains, “Sin is a combination of undetected weakness, an unexpected opportunity, and an unprotected life.”It was a sin of callousness. When his scheme to cover up his sin was compromised, David ordered for Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, to be killed in battle. He planned, connived, and orchestrated calloused, cold-blooded murder.It was a sin of stubbornness. Despite the conviction he felt, David went a whole year without repenting. But God did not forget David’s sin, and He wouldn’t let David forget either. David’s sin weighted, wounded, and weakened him. David received words of rebuke, arrows of conviction, and hands of pressure from God.David was finally confronted by the prophet, Nathan, and was convicted and chastised. He had to pay the consequences for his sin. But God was faithful to forgive him; He is faithful to forgive us, too.Apply it to your lifePerhaps it’s time for you to be lovingly confronted, too. If you have muddled through or glossed over your sin, thinking God has forgotten, He has not. Repent of your sins and ask God for forgiveness.