The Cord of Sin That Will Not Break

Through the account of King David suffering because he could not forgive his son, this passage deals with the catastrophe that spiritual numbness brings. Following a scheme devised by Joab, David calls back his son Absalom, who had committed murder, but tries to restore the relationship on family affection alone, without proper rebuke or a process of repentance. As a result Absalom was left without ever recognising his sin, and a vicious cycle began that led to greater rebellion and tragedy.

The sermon points out that when David lost his spiritual sensitivity and judged by human emotion and indecision, he was easily exposed to Satan's schemes. When he was full of the Holy Spirit he could discern the wiles of the evil one, but once his relationship with God grew distant, David ended up leaving sin unchecked rather than protecting his son. This warns that when the church simply covers over sin in the name of forgiveness and love and fails to exercise discipline, believers may fail to grow spiritually and be swept into the darkness of the world.

The sermon stresses that believers must stay spiritually sensitive and judge events with the same heart as God. It is important to discern whether the people around us are leading us in the way of truth or drawing us into the darkness of the world, and the sermon asks us to keep relationships that rebuke sin and lead to repentance.