Today we're finishing up our four-week study called "The OT." A spin-off of the nighttime soap opera "The OC," these messages have taken some of the lurid stories in the Old Testament and used them as a springboard to teach some important biblical principles. Today's title is "Temptation." We're going to look at how one of the most famous and best-loved characters in the Bible fell into the trap of temptation.

Wouldn't it be great if we had an escape button we could push when we're tempted? Wouldn't that make life easier? You see those Krispy Kreme donuts; you're getting ready to grab one, and this escape button appears. You push it, escape another temptation trap. You're surfing the web and a scantily-clad woman appears on the screen and just as you're getting ready to click on the link, the escape button appears. You push it and saved once again. Someone ticks you off at work or at home. You're getting ready to spew out a piece of your mind when the escape button comes to your rescue.

Well, unfortunately, there is no such button. Oh, there is always a way of escape, but it doesn't come in the form of a magical button you can push. We all face temptation. We're going to look today at one of the darkest chapters in biblical history because it provides an excellent case study in dealing with temptation. When we think of King David, usually we think about how he killed Goliath with a sling shot. But today I want us to look at a time in David's life when he did something terribly bad—the time he committed adultery with one of his best friend's wife. There are four truths I want you to capture from this story.

First, be honest with the reality of temptation. All of us are tempted. In fact, if you're like me, you're tempted multiple times every day. And there is no escape button.

I bet you can think of various temptations that you faced years ago. Probably the ones you remember the most are those that you caved into. I remember in the seventh grade not being prepared for a math test. I sat in the back of the room where I could easily look on someone else's paper, Danny McClain's. And the good thing is, to help me out, Danny had his paper on the edge of his desk where I could see it pretty clearly.

Halfway through the test, Mrs. Hayes came walking down the aisle toward me. She approached my desk and said, "Ken, go throw your paper in the trash can." She actually accused me of cheating. What made matters worse is that I lied about it. I even boldly challenged her, "Just ask Danny if I was cheating." Thankfully, she didn't do that. An escape button would have been very nice at that moment. Even though I know God has forgiven me, that incident still haunts me to this day.

We're all tempted. And we need to be honest with the reality of temptations. Before we jump into the story about King David, let me state a truth that may catch you off guard. Sin is fun. That's right—sin is fun. By cheating, I can make a better grade. Getting drunk will sure make me feel good. Having sex outside of marriage can bring pleasure. Gossiping can make me feel important. But let me add—sin's pleasure is temporary.

Read 2 Samuel 11:1 with me. This verse sets the stage. What was David's occupation? King. The spring time was the time when kings went out to battle. This spring, however, David stayed home while he sent all his associates out to war. He probably thought to himself, "Nothing bad can happen to me." When you think you have it all together, that's when you better watch out.

Notice also in verse one that he sent all the godly men in his life away from him. Bad mistake. It is spiritually dangerous to purposely separate ourselves from Christian fellowship. When we stop coming to church, we are pulling ourselves away from the very people who will hold us accountable. When we pull away, it seems the temptations become more attractive and more difficult to resist. Zero percent financing, no money down. Movie titles will not appear on your hotel bill. All you can eat. Be honest about the reality of your temptation.

Second, establish clear boundaries in your life. Read 2 Samuel 11:2-4. David had no boundaries established. One day while walking on the roof of the palace (remember, he should have been out fighting), he sees a woman bathing. Not just any woman—but a beautiful woman. Men, is this a temptation? Nine out of ten men would say yes. The others would be lying. Had he had clear boundaries established, immediately he would have turned away.

He saw a woman bathing. At this point there is no sin. Temptation, yes; but not sin. Temptation is not sin. When the man identified her as Bathsheba, I think he was warning David, not just giving him factual information. "David, this is Bathsheba. She's married to one of your friends, one of your key military officers Uriah. Don't go there." But instead of walking away, David sent him to check it out.

David took the next step in his pathway to a moral downfall. He did probably what every person in this room has done. He wanted to see how close to sin he could get without falling off. What can I get away with without really sinning? That's extremely dangerous.

We all have different weaknesses. The Bible says, "But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed" (James 1:14). I could walk in a room when no one is anywhere around. On a table could be a bottle of liquor on one side and marijuana on the other. Neither would tempt me in the least. On the other hand, they may serve as a tremendous temptation for you. Whatever your weaknesses are, you must establish clear boundaries to keep you from crossing the line.

Satan is a master at manipulating. He takes beautiful gifts from God and then manipulates them to his advantage. Work is a gift from God. Satan manipulates the gift and tempts you to become obsessed with your work to the detriment of your family. Sex is a gift from God. But he manipulates the gift and tempts you to engage in sexual affairs outside the realm of marriage. Material possessions are gifts from God. Satan manipulates you, however, to purchase things with money that you do not have.

You've got to take steps to protect yourself. Establish boundaries. Our staff pastors have established boundaries. In counseling with the opposite sex, the door must be open or there must be a window in the door. We don't ride alone in a vehicle with the opposite sex. We don't do lunches alone with the opposite sex. Why? Because we have problems in this area? No. We don't want to be tempted to have problems in this area.

If your problem is alcohol, stay away from the bars. If your problem is overspending, cut up the credit cards.

Verse 4 says Bathsheba came to David and he slept with her. I don't think David ever intended for things to go this far. Intentions are never good enough. You must establish clear-cut boundaries. Students and singles, when you date, establish the boundaries from the start. And don't violate them.

Third, understand that consequences follow sinful behavior. How many of you have the invisible fence collar on your dog? It's amazing how quickly dogs learn. You walk the dog toward the boundary and ZAP! It only takes a couple of shocks, and they learn.

Bruno, our Boston Terrier, sometimes sits in front of our TV with his invisible fence collar on and receives a jolt. Before the shock, there is this high pitched ring. Recently, I had a new WalMart watch. And I couldn't figure out how to shut off the hour chime. One day I was sitting in the family room and Bruno was in front of the TV. That chime went off and Bruno tore off running.

Do you know why these collars are so successful? They produce immediate consequences. Go out of the yard and you're going to get shocked. If God put a shock collar on us and shocked us immediately after sinning, we would probably not sin. But most of the time the consequences are delayed. We sin, nothing happens, and we think we've gotten away with it.

David probably thought the same thing. He had sex with his friend's wife, sent her back home, no harm done. No one will know. But read verse 5. Uh-oh! She's pregnant. You can't hide pregnancy. So David comes up with a plan. He brings Uriah home from the battlefield so that he will sleep with his wife. Then everyone will think the baby is legit. One problem. Uriah didn't sleep with his wife because to do so would have been dishonorable while all the other men were out fighting and away from their families.

Plan B. Get Uriah drunk. Then he will sleep with his wife. That plan didn't work either. He never went home to his wife. Plan C. Read verses 14-15. And that's exactly what happened. Uriah, because of David's plot, was killed on the frontlines of battle. Read verses 26-27.

When David first saw this beautiful woman bathing, do you think he ever thought, "I'm going to have sex with my good friend's wife, get her pregnant, and then have her husband murdered?" Sin will take you further than you want to go and make you stay longer than you want to stay and make you pay more than you want to pay.

Consequences always follow sin. They may not come immediately but they will come. In David's case, the baby died and from then on, his family was one big mess after another.

When all hell breaks loose in your life because of your bad decisions, don't blame God. I see this all the time. God, how could you let me get pregnant? God, how could you let us get in this financial mess? God, why did you let me get addicted? That's what sin does. The Bible says, "Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (James 1:15). Sin messes up your marriage, your reputation, your career, your children, and even your health. Sin always brings consequences.

Fourth, experience God's forgiveness. There's a part of our human nature that doesn't like to admit fault. Recently I was visiting someone in jail. This person was telling me the saga of how he was in jail for something he didn't do. It wasn't his fault. Isn't that a typical response? It wasn't my fault. We like to blame other people for the bad stuff that happens.

Chapter 12 reports how God sent a prophet friend of David's, Nathan, to confront him about his sin. He told the king about how God was going to punish him. David's sins were inexcusable. But when confronted, at least he admitted his wrongs. In verse 13, he says, "I have sinned against the Lord."

If you're living in a sinful pattern, there must come a point when you say, "I was wrong. I messed up." What is amazing is that God is always willing to forgive you. The Bible says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). The consequences for your sins might not change. But God does forgive.

Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive you of all the times you've blown it. But let me clarify something. When we confess, God knows how sincere we are. He does not receive insincere worship or insincere prayers. Insincere prayer means that I don't mind sinning because I know I can go to God and confess. Sometimes I wonder if our prayers of confession are more of a self-imposed conscience soother. "God I've done wrong. Make me feel better because I know I'm going to do it again." That's not honest confession.

To experience the forgiveness of God, you need to come to Him with a sincere, repentant heart. He forgives. As you read Chapter 12, you will read that the son born out of adultery died. But David comforted Bathsheba. They had another son named Solomon. And David's life got back on track. He confessed, repented, and moved on. We find him back at war, which is where he should have been all along.

God's grace is amazing. Matthew 1 gives us a list of Jesus' genealogy from Abraham. Verse 6 reads, "And Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife" (Matthew 1:6). Why do I bring this up? To remind you of God's grace. As bad of a sin that David committed, God still allowed him to be a part of the messianic line. The Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, was born from the family line of David and Bathsheba.

If God can use that mess up, He can work through yours also.