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• Davids first born Amnon falls in lust with his half sister Tamar. His confides in his cousin Jonadab who gives him the great idea to act sick to get his sister to bring him food.  He does it. David orders Tamar to go to Amnon to feed him. She brings cakes, but amnon removes the other people in the room so they can be left alone. Amnon propositions her, she refuses based on Israel’s laws and basic moral decency. She tells him to ask the King instead, he doesn’t listen and forces himself on her. Immediately after, he begins to loathe her, kicks her out, she then gets even more upset, so he has his servants kick her out. She covers herself with ashes, tears her robe, and leaves crying. She goes to her brother Absalom, he tells her to not tell anyone, but comforts her. David hears, doesn’t want to hurt his first born Amnon, but now Abasalom hates his half brother Amnon. Absalom waits 2 years for his revenge. He invites David and Davids servants to go and be with some sheep shearers in Ephraim. David doesn’t want to go, so he asks instead for Amnon to go. David is reluctant, but he says yes. Amnon goes with Absalom. They start to feast, Amnon gets drunk, Absalom tells his servants to kill him while he’s drunk. The other sons run away.  A rumor goes to David that Absalom killed all of his sons. David weeps, but Jonadab tells him that abasalom just killed Amnon for the thing with Tamar. The other sons show up to mourn Amnons death. Absalom runs away to hide , David gets over Amnons death and wants Absalom to return. 

• Why is this story in the Bible? It’s a disgusting shameful story. Sadly, its not exceptional, stuff like this happens in families to this day because people don’t destroy sin in their lives. 
• Clearly Tamar is the victim. 100%. Amnon is a predator. Jonadab is a contributor. Absalom- The definition of going Old Testament on someone. 
• Leviticus 18 lays out all the commands for sexual purity of Israel and Amnon violated them. 
• Deuteronomy 22 talks about a man who does this and how it is deserving of death
• God hates all sin. This one is exceptionally heinous. It says a lot- but we’re just going to touch on  few things- we’re taking this whole chapter today because I don’t want to camp out in it longer than needed
• Here’s the short version of the story- when you go against God’s stated commands and follow your own desires, it results in bad things. 

1. Don’t follow your desires

• The beginning of this story is found in the heart of Amnon v2 2 Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her.
• He knew it was wrong. He worked his way to get his way and enlisted his cousin to help him. 
• Sexual immorality pre-dates the law- this dude was wrong and he knew it- caught up in desire- wants
• And it started in his mind and his heart. He went against what he knew was right and followed his desire
• James 1:14-15  But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
• That’s where it starts- desire- and then enticed. Thoughts, feelings, desires, they come- from the flesh
• And when they come- you have a decision- am I going to follow this instinct, or the word of God?
• You can’t trust the heart! Just because you have a desire doesn’t mean God wants you to act on it
• Jeremiah 17:9  “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
• This is why our savior said that mens hearts were wicked- that’s where sin comes from- inside
• Mark 7:21-22  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
• What does it mean to you?
• Are you more inclined to follow your heart than the word of God? 
• At what point do you come to the realization- what I am desiring is not what God commands or requires?
• AND when it comes? What do you do? Do you line up your life with the Word of God? Or go with desire?
• Heb 3:12  Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
• You have to watch yourself- an evil heart of unbelief can lead you to depart from God
• Its where it starts “did God really say” and then it turns into full blown rebellion against God
• DON’T TRUST YOUR HEART- DON’T TRUST YOUR THOUGHTS- Trust GODS holy unchanging WORD
• Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.
• Be prepared to go before God and answer for staying true to his word and sticking with HIS ways
• Selfish desires ruin relationships- Only produces death
• AMnon was killed- Tamar’s virginity destroyed- all because Amnon followed his DESIRE and didn’t follow God
• Here’s what you do- You pump yourself full of God’s word and follow what it says whether you agree with it or not. Pray that God will change your heart to have his desires and his passions
• But don’t use your heart as the litmus test- don’t follow it- It is wicked. It will lead you astray. Follow the word- it will never lead you astray. If God says do it- do it. If God says don’t do it, don’t do it
• EVERYTHING- and you agree with me now- but when push comes to shove- I’ll still say it to your face- 
• This will cost you relationships- especially if you don’t follow peoples hearts with them. 
• Proverbs 14:12  There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Choices affect others

• God is not the author of this- he didn’t cause this and he didn’t do this. God doesn’t make people do this
• This is a great story to demonstrate the free will of man and how his choices affect others. 
• God is sovereign- he can and will forgive and repair and love and redeem- but the same God that is blessing you is not making others assault you to teach you a lesson. That’s a lie from the pit of Hell. 
• Look at the free will here: 3 But Amnon had a friend- Some friend he had-  Jonadab chose to not act- but to contribute to the assault – 5 So Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill.
• BRO- You should have popped Amnon in his head and said “what are you thinking bro?” NOOOOOOO
• That’s what he should have done “Bro- what you are going to do is going to affect others” 
• This is what sin does- it entices you to think that it wont hurt anyone what you do- when in fact it destroys everyone around you. 
• Remember 12:14 you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme,
• Your choices affect others- there is no individual plan. Your family, friends, coworkers, church, nation etc
• None of us are to live unto ourselves. Satanism is living for self and selfishness. 
• David chose to not pay attention Amnon chose to go after his sister
• And there will be after affects from it- huge huge afteraffects from the sin. 
• Job 4:8  Even as I have seen, Those who plow iniquity And sow trouble reap the same.
• What does it mean to you
• Don’t lie to yourself and say that your choices don’t affect those around you- they do
• The only outcome from sin is death- and woe be to you for the sin that causes death in others. 
• Jesus said it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea than to cause someone to sin

• Matthew 18:6  “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea
• Choices are affected by desires. Keep desires in check and you’ll make better choices. 
• Don’t spend your life for yourself. Think about how your choices affect others
• You divorce your spouse? Kids affected for life. Yell back at boss? No job Ignore health? Early death
• Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
• Thanks adam! Your one sin caused all of this. One guy set everyone else in motion
• This is whats been somewhat frustrating about this virus- people who refuse to do what they need to do
• They want their individualism- they want their freedom. They don’t want someone to tell them what to do- They want to make their OWN choices- not have someone make them for them. 
• Make the right choices- have the right outcomes- that’s how it works
• Galatians 6:7-8  READ- Sow good reap good. 

Follow the Lord

• 13:21 But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.
• Of course he was! David just went through a horrible escapade with his own deviancy, of course he’s angry- he had repented of his own sin, and now his son had fallen into his own horrible sexual sin
• I believe that David desired righteousness at this point- that he wanted to honor God
• Deut 13:4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. Deut 10:20  
• This is the royal family- this is the family that should be teaching others to follow the Lord, but in this instance- Amnon has failed miserably. Should have done like King Josiah. 
• King Josiah- 2 Chronicles 34:31  Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.
• That’s a king that follows the Lord- all of it- all of what God has said to his people regarding conduct. 
• These aren’t obscure demands- This isn’t unknown demands of scripture- its simple morality
• What does it mean to you
• FOLLOW THE LORD- Please him with your actions, thoughts and deeds. Make pleasing him priority ONE
• Col 1:10  that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

• Three point sermon within the sermon- pleasing him, being fruitful, increasing in knowledge
• If you do those three things- you’ll follow the Lord- How you live, what you do, how you grow
• Here’s an easy way to stay out of Sin and follow the Lord- 
• One- is this against the word of God- two- will this please the Lord- if not- don’t do it
• But people don’t want to do this- they want to live to themselves- follow their own desires
• Its why many people don’t want to follow Jesus- because they have to give up their own desires
• Physical, sexual, financial, spiritual, emotional, all of these desires are to be laid at the foot of the cross
• To say “not my will but yours be done” 
• Jeremiah 7:23  READ “that it may be well with you.. 
• The spirit of self desire destroys all relationships, including the relationship with Christ
• Christianity is following Jesus- following his desires- its not following our own desires. FOLLOW HIM
• John 8:12  Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
• 1 Peter 2:21  1 John 2:6  

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