Talk

Breaking the Pattern of Sin in Your Life

Ben Stuart
Ben Stuart
December 5, 2021

Ben Stuart demonstrates the folly of an aging king and the foolishness of a prince. David has invited chaos into his house and is facing major consequences for it. But the Man After God’s Own Heart turns back to the Lord in humility and we see a Kingdom restored.

Key Takeaway

Unrepentant sins of the past will always catch up with you and will often play out to a higher degree in the lives of your offspring. Repent when the sin is small so that it does not grow over time and reap unintended, yet massively destructive consequences.

1. David reaps what he sows.

Inputs have outcomes and the sins of the past catch up with him. Sin does not just roll downstream; it intensifies. Arguments and disrespect turn to anger and murder between his sons. The older generation affects the younger generation, so what you put on display in your own life, your children will put on display in theirs. David had lusted after a woman, violated her, and then murdered her husband. His son Amnon lusted after his half-sister, Tamar, violated her, and then kicked her out. Her brother, Absalom, kills Amnon. Get the idea of karma out of our heads, this is the principle of sowing and reaping, that our choices have consequences.

2. David's passivity is as dangerous as his activity.

Sins of omission are as bad as sins of commission. David is angry but does nothing when Amnon violates Tamar. His lack of discipline causes Absalom to brood with anger towards both David and Amnon to the point that he takes Amnon's life. David is upset about the murder but again does nothing. Absalom is tired of the middle ground so he turns the hearts of the people towards him and away from his father. Because of his passivity, David allows Absalom to fill the vacuum and bring chaos to the kingdom, forcing David, in his 60s, to leave barefoot with nothing to go to the Mount of Olives.

3. David's impotence does not excuse Absalom's arrogance.

As David leaves, he is humble, repentant, and not making excuses. His heart is contrite and we start to see what was so great about David coming back to life. On the contrary, all we ever find out about Absalom is that he's good-looking and insecure. This harkens back to Saul. Talent without character is a tragedy waiting to happen.

When you're a Saul, everyone below you is a threat.

When you're an Absalom, everyone above you is a threat.

If all you see are Sauls and Absaloms, you might be one yourself.

David's man appeals to Absalom's vanity and insecurity. They are two sides of the same coin of self-absorption. These lead to Absalom's downfall and he is killed while swinging from a tree by his hair. Why? Because God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.

4. David puts himself in the Lord's hands.

David didn't retaliate, instead, he trusted God and prayed he would find favor again. God restored David to his throne and to a place where he was able to hand over the kingdom to Solomon who would bring it to its greatest height. David had help re-establishing the kingdom. Nathan, who rebuked David of his sin with Bathsheba, and Zadok the Priest, who was with him on his walk of shame out of Jerusalem came alongside him as his community that helped him come back into the Kingdom of blessing. That kingdom would bless the next generation so that generations would be blessed through them.

Here's the hope. David was in the process of reaping what he had sown, but God gave him grace and re-established him. We don't live in a karma world, we live in a world where our Father is ready and willing to lavish his grace and love upon us so that we might be called His Children. The same path David walked out of the city to the Mount of Olives, Jesus would walk as well into his betrayal and death where he bore our sins, past and present, so that when He rose, He would give us victory and re-establish us with our Father.

"We have to journey with sadness if we want to see hope return."
Ben Stuart

Discussion Questions

  1. Ben Stuart said, "you can't heal a wound by ignoring it." Do you have any wounds in your life that are going to cause a lot of pain in the future if you keep ignoring them?
  2. Can you name the multiple ways in 2 Samuel 13-19 that David's sown sin is reaping a harvest of destruction?
  3. What do you tolerate as entertainment that requires the numbing of your conscience?
  4. What are some examples of sin intensifying with each generation?
  5. Have you been a victim of someone's passivity? Has it caused more chaos around you?
  6. Generations often pit themselves against each other. What are the qualities of each that are helpful to all? Detrimental to all?
  7. We are all responsible for our actions. Absalom decided to take the route of being completely self-serving. What does God say in James 4:6?
  8. What are the laws of sowing and reaping? Where is the hope found in Psalm 30:5, 126:5-6?
  9. David returned himself to the Lord's hands and prayed for favor. Do you need to do the same?
  10. Read 1 John 3:1 and describe what Jesus has done for you.

Scripture References

17If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
11Rescue those being led away to death;

hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

12If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”

does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who guards your life know it?

Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?

14
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
15
To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,
each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
16
The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.
17
So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.
18
But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19
“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
20
The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22
“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24
“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25
So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?
27
Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28
“ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.
29
For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
30
And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud

but shows favor to the humble.”

24
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
5For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may stay for the night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning.

5Those who sow with tears

will reap with songs of joy.

6Those who go out weeping,

carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy,

carrying sheaves with them.


Ben Stuart
Ben Stuart
Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M. He also earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.