Consequences of sin in a Child of God (Quality: Good)

[0:00] Now with the Lord's help this evening, I will venture to speak from the 11th chapter in the first book of Kings, and will particularly ask your attention to the 9th verse. The 9th verse in the 11th chapter of the first book of Kings. Now I'll read the 9th and 10th verses, it gives me a little more latitude. Verses 9 and 10, and the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods, but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.

[1:08] Paul the Apostle, writing to the Colossians, says in the first chapter at verse 18, verse 28 rather, whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily.

[1:49] My friends, warning every man and teaching every man. What a responsibility. But nevertheless, he says, whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily. The Lord using an instrument. And the extent of benefit through the instrumentality of gospel preaching is the work of God. The work of God. And God does work and still will work mightily through the preaching of the word. For it hath pleased God to bless and use the foolishness of preaching. And I do feel in this day emphasis needs to be made concerning the constructive use spiritually considered under the hand of God in what may be termed by the world as a most uninteresting and unprofitable exercise. My friends, God will use the preaching to the end of the world. He works in men mightily that they may convey his mind to those to whom he directs their steps. One is so often exercised that God will use us. God will use us. Oh there seems to be such a lack of power with preaching. Power belongs to God and it is under the power of God that the ministry becomes effectual and fruitful. And that's what we long to see in the churches in general. Now warning every man. I've come with a warning this evening. And I hope you'll be given patience to listen to what I have to say because I hope and trust that through the scripture we shall all be benefited.

[4:16] I spent the morning preaching on the great blessing of God to Solomon in the spiritual realm, making him wise in spiritual things and also in temporal ways. He was greatly prospered.

[4:45] So much so that there has never been an equal to Solomon according to the word of God. But nevertheless, I want this evening to come to the fact that Solomon was a man of like passions with us.

[5:08] He wasn't perfect. He wasn't perfect. With all the benefits God bestowed upon him in temporal and spiritual things. Nevertheless, he had his weakness. And his weakness is brought to us in the reading of the word this evening and somewhat of the solemn issues of that weakness.

[5:33] And his weakness were brought to bear upon him by the just dealings of God with his servants. I'm going to reiterate a statement I made this morning that Solomon was loved of God before the foundation of the world.

[5:52] And so are the people of God. The great asset, the greatest asset is to be loved of God.

[6:06] How many times have you and I exercised into it? Does the Lord love me? And sometimes it seems that circumstances seem to indicate the opposite.

[6:21] We feel forsaken. And sometimes we fear we might be deceived in everything. But my friends, whom once he loves, he never leaves, but loves them to the end.

[6:33] And of that theme, we've been able to sing together this evening. Well now Solomon was loved of God, but the Lord...

[6:45] The Lord... knew that Solomon had a weakness. And even in all the experience and prosperity that attended him, we find quite early on in the first book of Kings, I think it's the third chapter of this same book.

[7:18] And Solomon made affinity. This is the first verse in the third chapter. And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt and took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had made an ending of building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall of Jerusalem round about.

[7:44] He was there under the teaching of God warned against affiliation with these foreign powers.

[7:56] But he joins affinity with Egypt and Egypt's king's daughter obviously is attractive to him and he takes her in and marries her and brings her to Jerusalem.

[8:18] And it seems there really quite early on there's a flash of the weakness that seems so much to Solomon a besetting sin.

[8:33] A besetting sin. And you know as we read this evening the solemn indictment that is brought against Solomon that he loved many women.

[8:53] He just had a weakness in that direction and it seemed as though by reason of his prosperity in all probability he had a liberty that is not known to all and in the exercise of that advantage if we may term it that he went over the top.

[9:19] he went over the top and in consequence of his disobedience of God's command in keeping his he and his people separate from the kingdoms round about he goes and marries various women from the varying kingdoms and some of the statistics are almost frightening to consider and he had 700 wives princesses and 300 concubines and his wives turned away his heart poor man poor man rich man in so many ways but his weakness was degrading was detrimental to him in every way both in spiritual things and in temporal things it was a misuse of the status and the advantage monetarily and in every other temporal way it seems that he took everything in his stride but this great weakness surfaced and brought the displeasure of God upon him for it came to pass when Solomon was old that his wives turned away his heart after other gods not only went with them in the affection of his heart for them but they had this added influence upon him they led him away from the true

[11:29] God to idol gods no value detrimental to the honour of God that is God in heaven and detrimental to his own spiritual welfare now I use this as a basis and I want just to bear reference to one of two instances in scripture before I proceed none of us can read the history of the flood and consider the great faith of Noah as he went on building his ark against the coming flood without appreciating what a gracious man he was he was ridiculed for what he was doing the people round mocked him they couldn't understand the exercise of his heart and the consequence of that exercise in building that great vessel in which alone safety ultimately was found and he went through the flood with his family and all those that God shut in the ark with him and life upon the earth seems to have perished by the just judgment of God resting upon those that were outside of the ark at that time and we look at this history and we say well what a remarkable man that in a kind of loneliness he went on doing what he knew to be the will of

[13:37] God prepare an ark to the saving of thy house and he got everything there and prosecuted God's will and made his ark and we know when the ark came under the terrible test in the deluge he and those in the ark were perfectly safe and you know as I know the projection of the principle is that Christ Jesus alone is the ark by which preservation to eternal life can be enjoyed he is a the ark is a type of the Lord and as safety was found in the ark under God's safety for those in Christ is ensured by God himself but my friends

[14:38] Noah had a weakness let me just touch upon it and Noah this is after he came out of the ark and the sons of Noah that went forth of the ark were Shem Ham and Japheth and Ham is the father of Canaan these are the three sons of Noah and of them was the whole earth overspread and Noah began to be an husbandman and he planted a vineyard and he drank of the wine and was drunken and he was uncovered within his tent and Ham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brethren without and Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father and their faces were backward and they saw not their father's nakedness and Noah awoke from his wine and knew that his younger son had done to him and he said cursed be Canaan a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren and he said blessed be the

[16:20] Lord God of Shem and Canaan shall be his servant now really at the root cause of that great problem was he got drunk he got intoxicated my friends what a solemn thing it was that he was exposed in nakedness to his youngest son who became the father of Canaan if you know your Bible you know what a trouble the Canaan were to the children of Israel and really if you look at that in the whole context remember that the curse was pronounced against Canaan here and it's and he said a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren that the judgment of God rested upon the youngest son of Noah and really the root of the problem was that

[17:43] Noah himself was found naked in his tent and his younger son saw him exposed and that was a foundation for the curse resting upon him well now Noah was a good man Noah was loved of God Noah was in heaven now but what a solemn weakness surfaced in his conduct when as a husbandman he planted a vineyard and then got drunk under the consequences of his endeavour what a warning and now let me turn just quickly to another instance in

[18:45] Genesis to which my mind was taken and that is in respect of Lot Lot had two daughters with him and they were preserved wondrously when God's judgment was poured out upon Sodom you remember how Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt these two girls they continued with their father and obviously were living with him at this juncture in the history of the word and Lot went up out of Zohar and dwelt in the mountain and his two daughters with him for he feared to dwell in Zohar and he dwelt in a cave he and his two daughters and the firstborn said unto the younger our father is old and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth come let us make our father drink wine and we will lie with him that we may preserve seed for our father and they made their father drink wine that night and the firstborn went in and lay with her father and he perceived not when she lay down nor when she arose and it came to pass on the morrow that the firstborn said unto the younger behold I lay yesterday night with my father let us make him drink wine this night also and go thou in and lie with him that we may preserve seed for our father and they made their father drink wine that night also and the younger arose and lay with him and he perceived not when she lay down nor when she arose thus were both the daughters of

[21:05] Lot with child by their father they were guilty of incest and then we come to this the firstborn bear a son and called his name Moab the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day you know what an enemy to Israel the Moabites were right through the generations they were a thorn in the side of the people of God and the younger also she also bear a son and called his name Ben Ammi the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day and the Ammonites were enemies of Israel in the most terrible way throughout the history of the Lord's people now the fruit of sin was a terrible consequence there's the

[22:11] Canaanites and here we have the Moabites and the Ammonites all these three nations as it were sprung from the committal of an evil by their forebears and in that there is a very solemn warning not necessarily alone is the consequence of sin in judgment to those that verily fall into it and commit it sometimes the consequence can be following in generations to come my friends we need to consider these influences that are present in scripture for our warning that to sin lightly is to sow seed of potential judgment not only for ourselves but may our successors also reap the reward of our misdeeds well now

[23:40] I could go on couldn't I and the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared unto him twice are you jealous of your heart do you live with a perpetual spirit of jealousy lest you should sin against God lest what you're doing where you're going is contrary to the revealed will of God in scriptural truth my friends a fruit of godliness is found in that jealousy that watchfulness that care that tenderness the fear of the Lord in practical terms hold up my goings in thy path that my footsteps slip not now if

[24:50] Noah with all that Noah was could fall if Lot with all that Lot was as we know in scripture how God took care of him and brought him out of Sodom I know he showed a weakness in choosing the plane at his uncle's expense but nevertheless he was a good man Lot was a man that feared God and he faltered and he failed and how solemn were the consequences of these things even among the children of God the people of Israel God we come to the New Testament and I can't turn once again to record the pride of the apostle

[25:52] Peter when he said if all men forsake thee yet will not I and it's said in one place that the spirit was echoed in the hearts of fellow disciples but when he came to the test it's all right while they were all together the Lord Jesus and his disciples but when the tables turned and Peter found himself exposed to the potential problems raised by Christ's enemies those that were showing themselves to be the enemies of the Saviour and Peter he gets cold feet he's not adequate to the performance of the very things that he boasted to accomplish

[26:59] I'll never forsake when it came thou art also with them he does forsake the Lord he does deny the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and he shamefully shamefully failed and my friends how solemn these things are oh what is as it were the consistency of our profession not only when we're with the people of God it's one thing to be in an atmosphere like we're in tonight and it's another thing to go out tomorrow morning to come into the company of the world they're boasting of what they did yesterday how they went to various places of amusement and other places of natural interest and you're very quiet about saying well

[28:03] I went to a place of worship I try and keep the Lord's day as it ought to be kept in the fear of God and the concentration as it were upon spiritual things as opposed to temporal things I don't mean to suggest that we ought to force our opinions upon others but there's a difference between being what we are genuinely and what we become when the fear of man takes hold of us and the scripture says the fear of man bringeth a snare and the snare is well capable of bringing upon us in measure that which God showed in his displeasure against

[29:05] Solomon for Solomon departing from the ways of God and going after other gods for it came to pass when Solomon was old that his wives turned away his heart after other gods and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God as was the heart of David his father father loved and� Herman and god gentle and died the precepts and commandments of Holy Scripture.

[29:52] We don't very obviously give evidence of the separation which God essentially makes between his people and the world.

[30:08] And we must ever remember, and painfully did Solomon come into the experience, you cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot, that's an absolute impossibility.

[30:22] There's few that don't try to do it. And it's a special temptation among the younger element to try and keep in with both parties.

[30:36] My friend, you'll fail. You'll fail. Unless God strengthens you to identify yourself as on the Lord's side, your future is very questionable.

[30:51] And I do hope you see enough in the teaching of God's word and the example you see among fellow believers that to be honourable to God and to seek to keep his ways and walk in his commandments is the way of wisdom, the way of personal prosperity.

[31:16] Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.

[31:27] I was going to say, we're not in a more treacherous position than when, like Peter, we think we can stand ourselves.

[31:46] My friends, the preservation of the saints is the prerogative of God in his mercy, by his spirit, and in the overruling of circumstances.

[32:07] Peter learned, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed at the last time.

[32:24] God is a sovereign protector of his people. I wouldn't like to suggest the adverse situation into which a person may be brought that God is still able to keep them.

[32:41] You remember in the little book of Daniel, those good men, three Hebrew brethren, who were under the judgment of man to be cast into the fiery furnace because of their honourable profession of the Lord.

[33:02] And they were cast in to that furnace made seven times hotter than it was wont to be heated. Sufficient instantly to consume those that had been responsible for casting them into the flames.

[33:22] But they were preserved. There is a beautiful type of the sufficiency of God to keep those that honour him.

[33:36] And he says, them that honour me I will honour. We've got also in that lovely book of Daniel a record of Daniel himself, haven't we?

[33:48] And his faithfulness to God that he wouldn't give way to any threat concerning his adherence to God's sovereign will.

[34:04] He was ready to be cast into the den of lions for he knew in his heart in faith that God who preserved him from the lion and the bear could also preserve him in the lion's den.

[34:24] Well now, let me just refer to the text. And the Lord was angry with Solomon.

[34:36] What a difference that made to the relationship of Solomon with his God. God is a God that chastens his children that walk contrary to himself.

[34:53] And my friends, it's not out of the anger of God in this particular is not anger as the world know it.

[35:04] God is angry with the world every day, but the anger of God in exercise toward the church is the chastening of a father's rod.

[35:15] And remember, whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. What son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

[35:28] We all need correction. We all need that fatherly guidance and preservation. And God was displeased.

[35:44] He was angry with Solomon. you know, if the Lord withdraws his sensible presence from his people, it is a punishment.

[35:56] It is a punishment. It is an adversity. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Oh, my friends, what a sad, sad chapter in life's experience is when God sensibly withdraws the influence of his Spirit from our hearts.

[36:25] Nothing can equal the benefit of it. Nothing is more able to strike fear and terror into the heart of a believing Christian when it feels as though the Lord has forsaken him.

[36:49] Well, now, I believe when the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, that Solomon went cold, dark, and distant in his spiritual relationship with God.

[37:15] That is a terrible judgment of God as he chastens his offending children.

[37:27] We might say collectively at this point, one of the great concerns and exercises of the Church of God that is conscious of the decline and the withholding of the Spirit that's present in our times, one of the terrible anxieties is, lest the Lord is taking his Spirit from us.

[37:55] Because, my friends, there's no real profit in our gathering together, there's no profit in our religious exercises apart from the involvement of the Spirit of God in the matter.

[38:13] For now, the Lord was angry with Solomon for a reason. The Lord won't chasten you without a cause.

[38:26] Without a cause. One raises the question, is there not a cause? And there is a cause. the curse, causeless, cannot come, says the Bible.

[38:38] Oh, if you and I are suffering a sense of the displeasure of God, we need to search our hearts. We need God to help us in that matter.

[38:50] Search me and know my heart and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. that's a real spiritual concern of a living soul.

[39:05] And my friends, the coldness and darkness of your heart may not be an evidence against you. It may well prove to be an evidence for you that God has not left you, that God has not withdrawn his Spirit, that you may perish under the temptation and the weakness of your own heart.

[39:35] I repeat, whom the Lord loveth he chastened and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Well now, the Lord was angry with Solomon.

[39:52] What of prayer. what of prayer. What is the sweetness of prayer? It's to draw near to God believing that his ear is open and his hand is ready to work in answer to our Christ.

[40:15] Oh, to know the God of grace as a God who has instituted this most comforting religious exercise of drawing near to God with humble petition and finding the King of Kings and Lord of Lords ready to exercise his powers for our salvation and our relief in some of the trials and troubles of life's way.

[40:50] The Lord was angry. Oh, my friends, how solemn it is when the Lord may for a season give us over to ourselves and as it were, leave us in the wilderness to experience the temptations of the devil, the allurements of the world and the weakness of our own hearts to withstand the pressures that are upon us.

[41:29] Well, now, the Lord was angry with Solomon and the consequences were not only toward Solomon but his posterity.

[41:44] I must draw toward a close. What a terrible consequence there was through this weakness that was so obvious in the heart of this man of God.

[41:59] His son, Rehoboam, succeeded him. But God, in his displeasure, raised up a man Jeroboam.

[42:16] Jeroboam to Jeroboam was given ten tribes of the twelve tribes of Israel. Solomon had had dominion over the twelve, but God took ten away from his son and gave them to Jeroboam to be the ruler, the king over them.

[42:40] we might say, what an awful consequence of Solomon's sin was known in the experience of Rehoboam, his successor.

[42:56] successor, but God's anger, God's displeasure, God's chastening upon the nation of the children of Israel because of the transgression of their king Solomon.

[43:19] Then, of course, the ten tribes and the two tribes continue. The tribe of Judah was so sanctified as Christ Jesus becoming the lion of the tribe of Judah and we find Benjamin too on that side of Rehoboam but the other ten tribes were all governed by Jeroboam.

[43:50] Ten to two and two is the sum and substance of the succession of Solomon in the realm of royalty as he passes into eternity and his son takes his place.

[44:14] Now, closing in closing, besetting sins are not general. They're very personal.

[44:28] They're very personal. Besetting sins. Yes, there may be someone in this chapel that is dogged with a besetting sin that doesn't affect any other person in the congregation at all.

[44:47] it's just personal to you. A besetting sin. You've got a weakness. You've got a weakness. You say, but all weaknesses are human and we've all got the same weak.

[45:01] We're all weak. I confess, we're all weak, left to ourselves, but my friend, there is in the purpose of life something that arises that is a special weakness, a personal weakness and we may find those about us are not troubled as we're troubled because of the peculiarity and personal nature of our besetting sin.

[45:37] Besetting sins so often easily beset us and we need to be very watchful and very prayerful that God will keep us when identified to us is our personal weakness in some direction.

[46:00] Some have a weakness that they must make money. Some have a weakness in different directions things of the world just become besetting sins and in consequence the heart turns from God and God's commandments are not attended to as they should be.

[46:28] You offend God and God in consequence brings his displeasure to bear upon us. what a need there is to pray that the Lord should keep us from all evil but what a need to pray especially O Lord that which thou knowest is my besetting sin.

[46:58] Solomon had one Solomon had one now I had one Lot had one you could go on through scripture can't you because the word of God is faithful he doesn't present a character without manifesting in some great measure the weakness of that character we might take warning from the host of weaknesses which we have in scripture remembering that we have a nature similar to theirs and we have weaknesses that necessitate the keeping power of God in our hearts and in our lives as we journey on through time toward eternity what a mercy who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed at the last time my friends a conscience clear is a priceless position oh do do honour the influences of your conscience

[48:16] God's gift when our conscience is a tender and the fear of God is ready in our hearts then we don't look to our own arm to save us but we look to the Lord that he will keep us from all evil well these are a few broken remarks I never shall be a great preacher but in genuine desire for your spiritual health for your spiritual comfort for God's glory in you and among you one brings these warnings because you know it only takes one Jonah in the boat to make the whole of the sailors to be in trouble what a mercy to be a peaceable attendant upon the means of grace while walking in the fear of the

[49:26] Lord and to be a true asset with access to the throne of grace for the common good of all amen