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Layers of Security What We Can Do to Stop Sin Before it Comes - R. Barber · Faith On A Hill

• 0:01
  Good evening.
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  In the world of security, we have this term called defense in depth.
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  And this is true whether it's physical security, cybersecurity.
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  The idea being it's a framework, uh, think of like layers, if you will.
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  And so um, so for example, like cybersecurity, when you if you're to log into your bank, you need a username and a password that's unique to you.
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  And then they'll send you a code, right?
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  They'll text you a code or they'll email you a code.
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  And then you need that code to log in.
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  They're trying to make sure that you are who you say you are.
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  And that's an example of defense in depth.
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  That's what's known as multi-factor authentication, right?
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  Something you know, something you have.
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  And then and so physical security.
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  Also, um, has anyone been inside of a federal building before?
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  Right?
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  If you go or an airport.
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  You go in, you get screened, right?
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  Your bags get checked, you get checked.
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  And so these are just things like layers of defense to try to protect uh things that are important.
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  So protect the facilities, protect data, or most importantly, protect human life.
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  If you ever gone to Walmart or uh Target or any building for that matter, have you ever seen um what looks like flower pots in the front?
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  Looks like decorations, right?
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  Those are called ballards.
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  And essentially what that is, is they're physical p concrete pillars to block from like a car, you know, driving in the front.
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  Right.
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  And so it's those those is that's just examples of defense in depth.
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  And so this framework, it's it's important, like I said, like I mentioned, because when it comes to protecting things that are important to us.
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  This morning we talked about true repentance, Psalm 51.
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  We examine David's sin and Bathsheba and how, after being confronted by Nathan, David acknowledged his wrongdoing and he appealed to God's mercy.
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  This evening I want us to consider a different question.
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  What if David never committed adultery in the first place?
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  What if David had stopped before his sin progressed to deception and to murder?
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  What if he had simply walked away?
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  You see, this morning we discussed what to do after we sinned.
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  Tonight I want to discuss what we can do to prevent sin before it happens.
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  Our text comes from Psalm 1:1.
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  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
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  And so notice those three words from that verse: walk, stand, sit.
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  There's a progression there.
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  As the man, he begins by walking and then he stops, and then he stands.
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  And then eventually he sits down.
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  So for David specifically, what began as something temporary has become something more permanent.
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  And so this evening I want to discuss how David's sin followed that same progression, starting with walk.
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  And so David he entertained temptation.
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  Second Samuel 11, verses 2 and 3 says, Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house.
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  And from the roof
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  He saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.
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  So David sent and inquired about the woman.
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  And someone said, Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
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  So David, as we mentioned this morning, he's walking on the palace.
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  He sees Bathsheba bathing.
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  And that's not necessarily a sin, right?
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  He's not intending to do that.
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  It's just something he happens upon.
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  And so what happens next?
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  Verse three says, David inquired about the woman.
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  And so he went from
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  Seeing something he wasn't supposed to see, and then he escalates it into a qu inquiring about her specifically.
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  He could have turned away, but instead he pursued his desire.
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  And when we learned what she was, he learned that she was the wife of Uriah, he still continued on.
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  And this is where we see the beginning of David's progression for his sin.
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  He allowed temptation to develop into sinful action.
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  James 1:14 tells us: but every man is tempted.
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  When he's drawn away of his own lust and enticed.
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  And so temptation itself is not a sin.
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  Jesus was tempted and yet he was without sin.
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  Hebrews 4:15.
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  The problem is when we entertain sinful desires, we place ourselves in danger of giving into them.
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  And so how often do we do the same thing?
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  We see something inappropriate that we're not supposed to see, but in and instead of scrolling past it, we continue to look.
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  We hear gossip and instead of walking away, we continue to listen.
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  We become angry with someone, and we instead of controlling our emotions, rather, we continue thinking about what they did to us.
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  So the first step to preventing sin is recognizing temptation and refusing to entertain it.
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  David could have stopped when he saw Bathsheba.
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  He could have stopped when he learned she was married, but he continued and his sin progressed on.
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  And so stand.
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  David acted on his desire.
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  ah Verse four says David sent messengers, and he took her and he came into him and she and he lay with her.
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  So David moved beyond entertaining temptation.
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  He acted upon it.
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  He committed adultery with Bathsheba.
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  Shortly after, Bathsheba sent David a message.
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  I am with child, verse five.
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  And so now David has a problem.
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  Rather than acknowledging his sin, David attempts to conceal it.
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  He summoned, as we mentioned this morning, he summoned Ryah from the battle to cover up his sin, but his attempts were unsuccessful.
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  And so notice that progression.
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  He saw, he desired, he acted, he deceived.
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  What began as a sinful desire now developed into adultery and deception.
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  David simply wasn't just committing one sin anymore.
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  He was committing additional sins to conceal the first one.
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  Proverbs 28:13: He who covers his sins will not prosper.
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  But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
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  Sometimes when we sin, instead of stopping, uh, we attempt to justify or conceal our actions.
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  We tell more lies, uh, and then we need more lies to cover that initial lie that we started with.
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  And so we commit one sinful act and then we commit other sins to avoid the consequences.
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  Sin becomes more dangerous when we attempt to protect it rather.
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  Than turning away from it.
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  And so David's attempt to conceal his adultery, it failed.
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  And instead of stopping, he went even further.
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  Three, sit.
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  David became entrenched in his sin.
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  So David, he realized that Uriah uh would not return to his wife.
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  He developed another plan, as we know.
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  Um he arranged for Uriah to be killed, and then now it just gets longer and longer.
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  Look, lust, adultery, deception, murder.
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  James 1:15 describes this progression.
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  It says, Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin.
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  And sin when it is finished, brings forth death.
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  Sin rarely announces how far it intends to take us.
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  David likely did not begin that evening intending to murder Uriah, but one sinful decision led to another.
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  And eventually David found himself responsible for the death of an innocent man.
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  So this leads us back to Psalm 1.
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  Walk
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  Stan sit.
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  The psalmist describes a person becoming increasingly settled among the wicked.
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  David's story shows us how sinful choices can become increasingly serious when left unchecked.
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  We must be careful not to be comfortable with sin.
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  The longer we entertain our temptations, the easier it can be to justify our sinful actions.
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  And the more we justify our actions, the harder it is to turn away.
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  The best time to stop sin.
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  Is before we commit it.
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  But if we have already sinned, the next best time to stop it is now.
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  And that's where the idea of the defense in depth comes in.
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  What could have David done differently?
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  You know, we talked about his repentance in Psalm 151.
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  We saw how he acknowledged God, he acknowledged the sin.
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  He appealed to God's mercy.
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  And tonight we examine the decisions that brought David to that point of needing to repent.
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  But let's all consider something, how different the story would be if David had simply just turned away when he first saw Bathsheba.
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  Uriah might still be alive.
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  David would not have committed adultery.
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  There would have been no pregnancy resulting from uh that adultery, no cover-up, no murder.
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  All of these consequences could have been avoided uh if David had refused to pursue his sinful desires initially.
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  And so here's what we need to remember for someone.
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  It doesn't tell us, uh doesn't only tell us what the blessed man avoids, it says what he does.
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  Psalm 12.
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  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
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  The blessed man doesn't simply avoid sin, he fills his mind with God's word.
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  And that's how we can guard ourselves against temptation.
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  When we delight in God's word, meditate upon it day and night, allow it to guide our decisions.
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  We are better equipped to recognize temptation and turn away from it.
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  And so this morning we learned what to do when we've sinned.
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  Tonight we've learned the importance of stopping it before it even progresses.
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  David's story reminds us that sin can be uh begin with a single decision and progress into something far more destructive.
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  And so before we entertain that thought, before we take that action, before we attempt to justify what we know is wrong, remember the progression described in Psalm 1.
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  Walk, stand, sit.
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  Don't allow yourself to be comfortable with sin.
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  Psalm 119, 11, your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not that I might not sin against you.
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  And so that defense in depth for us as Christians is God's word.
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  And so if you are here tonight and you're living in sin, the blood of Jesus Christ continues to cleanse us.
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  And if we repent, it's conditional on our repentance.
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  It's also conditional.
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  On us being part of the body of Christ.
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  And if you are not a member of the Lord's church, we would love nothing more than to make that happen tonight.
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  If you have any need at all, please come as we stand and sing this song of encouragement.