Only Gospel-driven repentance can break the downward spiral of sin.
2 Samuel 11:1-5 (ESV)
1. The spiral begins with neglect.
2 Samuel 11:2 (ESV)
2. The spiral continues with lingering thoughts that produce desires. This is the battlefield of the mind: thoughts and desires.
James 1:14 (ESV)
2 Samuel 11:3 (ESV)
Genesis 3:6 (ESV)
“In our members there is a slumbering inclination toward desire which is both sudden and fierce. With irresistible power, desire seizes mastery of the flesh. All at once, a secret smoldering fire is kindled. The flesh burns and is in flames. In this moment, God is quite unreal to us. And Satan does not here fill us with hatred of God, but with a forgetfulness of God. The lust thus aroused envelopes the mind and the will in deepest darkness. It is here that everything in me rises up against the Word of God.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
3. Desires devolve to actions.
2 Samuel 11:4 (ESV)
James 1:14-15 (ESV)
4. Actions produce other actions.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (ESV)
5. The spiral ends in death.
2 Samuel 11:22-25 (ESV)
2 Samuel 11:26-27 (ESV)
What do I do?
“It’s easier to avoid temptation than to resist it.” – JD Greear
Avoiding the downward spiral of sin:
a. Stay busy and focused with the things of God.
b. Fill your mind and heart with God’s Word.
Colossians 3:2 (ESV)
c. Resist and flee temptation.
James 4:7-8 (ESV)
1 Corinthians 6:18a (ESV)