Sowing, reaping and adultery - Greg Laurie -
http://www.wnd.com/2015/04/sowing-reaping-and-adultery/ Pastor Greg Laurie notes God's forgiveness doesn't mean avoiding sin's consequences
There are different laws that govern the universe. There is a law of gravity, which is an absolute law you cannot violate without paying a price. Then there is the second law of thermodynamics, which essentially says that all things are breaking down. Then there is Murphy's Law, which basically says that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Then there is the biblical law of sowing and reaping, where we are told, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7 NIV). Just as surely as the law of gravity is in play, so is the law of sowing and reaping. There is no getting around it.
It may happen today. It may happen tomorrow. It may happen a month from now. Or it may happen a year or 10 years from now. But be sure that your sin will find you out, as the Bible says. You eventually will get caught, and you'll have to face the consequences.
There are people who commit crimes every day, and fortunately for many of us, the criminals are not that intelligent. There are some clever ones too, but a lot of them get caught. I read about someone who went into a Colorado bank and robbed it, but he had written the little note he gave to the teller on the back of one of his own checks. Needless to say, he reaped what he had sown.
One of the Bible's most notable individuals also had to face the consequences of his own actions. David was described as a man after God's own heart (see 1 Samuel 13:14). But there are two names that also come to mind when we think of David: Goliath and Bathsheba. One is associated with his greatest victory, while the other is associated with his greatest defeat.
David had been ruling for 20 years. Everyone loved him. He was a warrior, a worshiper, a poet and a spiritual man. He was around 50 years old at this time, and whether it was a midlife crisis or something else, he was kicking back and had lowered his guard.
When things are going reasonably well in our lives and there is no crisis to speak of, we start lowering our guard. There is money in the bank. Everyone in the family is in good health. The bills are paid. The birds are singing. And that is when we are vulnerable. The Bible warns, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (1 Corinthians 10:12)
I heard a man being interviewed who had fallen into the sin of adultery. He said that he used to boast to his friends that if he fell into any sin, it would never be adultery. Anything but that. So guess what sin he fell into? Adultery. Then he quoted Oswald Chambers: "An unguarded strength is a double weakness." When you think you're strong in a certain area and will never fall, you lower your guard. And boom! You get hit there.
That is exactly what happened to David. He had set himself up for the kill, so to speak. Sins we commit today may not have their full impact on us until much later. Often the stage has been set earlier in our lives for the sins that we fall to today. David didn't fall suddenly; it was a process.
In direct disobedience to God, David had multiple wives and concubines after he became king. God told him not to do it, but he did it anyway. He already was setting himself up for a fall. One night he was walking around the rooftop of his palace and saw the beautiful Bathsheba, bathing herself. There is nothing he could have done to avoid the first look. But what he should have done next was turn his gaze away and shut the door behind him. But David didn't do that. And he committed adultery.
Let me just say that you have to jump through a lot of hoops to end up in adultery. It doesn't just happen. David was the most culpable, although Bathsheba played a role. Without question, they both sinned. The Bible says that your sin will find you out (see Numbers 32:23), and that certainly was the case with David and Bathsheba. To make matters worse, David had Bathsheba's husband murdered in an attempt to cover it up.
Enter the prophet Nathan. When he showed up in the king's palace, David paid attention. Though David was powerful, Nathan was the prophet of God. He proceeded to tell David a story. There was a wealthy man in the kingdom with a lot of sheep. A friend arrived, and he wanted to serve him leg of lamb. But instead of selecting one of his own sheep, he took his neighbor's only lamb, which was like a pet. Then he killed it and served it to his dinner guest.
At this point, David's blood was boiling. He said, "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity" (2 Samuel 12:5-6 NKJV).
Nathan looked at him and said, "You are the man!" (verse 7).
To David's credit, he repented before God, and God forgave him. But he still had to face the repercussions.
Here is the thing we sometimes forget. Just because God forgives us doesn't mean we still won't reap what we sow. It doesn't mean that everything - all the effects of our sin - will go away. So think about the big picture when you make those decisions. Yes, you will reap what you sow. But let's not stop there.
God gave a second chance to David. He forgave him, and David stayed on the throne. He had his problems, but he was remembered as a great king. Even more, David ended up in the most exclusive genealogy in all of human history, in the family history of Jesus Christ. God gives second chances.
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