Follow Up with Clay - 10.02.24

David: (1st Samuel 16-1st Kings 2)

Young / shepherd…. Killed lion / bear to protect sheep….

Chosen to be next king….

Fought / defeated Goliath….

Won many battles…. Songs written about his victories….

Described as a man after God’s own heart….

And then….

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle….

David remained at Jerusalem.

Late one afternoon…. While enjoying the view….

Saw a beautiful woman bathing on a rooftop. (Bathsheba)

David’s not where he should be / doing what he should be doing….

In fact…. Not doing anything productive at all….

And Satan uses it…. We’ve all been there….

You know the old saying…. (Idle hands are the Devil’s Whoopi cushion)

David thought about her / asked about her / sent for her….

Slept with her / she conceived…. Told David….

David sent for her husband…. Uriah the Hittite…. (Warrior / Mighty Men)

David received a full report on the war / troops….

Then he sent Uriah home…. To be with his wife….

But Uriah walked out of the king’s home / slept outside his door….

David asked why he didn’t go home….

2nd Samuel 11:11, Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

David tried once more…. (Alcohol involved)

Again Uriah didn’t go home…. (Integrity / unselfishness)

David sent a letter to the commander…. Carried by Uriah….

(Have him on the front lines / withdraw / leave him to die)

That’s what happened….

David took Bathsheba to be another one of his wives….

And the baby was born….

2nd Samuel 11:27, …But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

We’ve all experienced the snowball effect of sin….

One lie leads to another…. One sin leads to another….

End up so deep…. Grow calloused to Holy Spirit’s conviction.

2nd Samuel 12:1-6, And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

Eat / drink / lie…. Sound familiar?

(Uriah: Cover up attempt…. )

Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

David’s conscience was asleep…. Otherwise he would have been convicted….

When your conscience sleeps….

You can hear / read the Bible…. Without being changed by the Bible….

God sent Nathan to wake him up….

2nd. Samuel 12:7-10, Nathan said to David, “You are the man!

Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul…. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

Remember Saul’s response when confronted?  (Made excuses)

2nd Samuel 12:13, David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

David’s repentance is genuine….

But there are still consequences…. Effecting future generations….

Baby dies / terrible conflict in the house of David….

Lesson: How will I respond when a friend cares enough to confront me with my sin?

If you were David…. And you had never been confronted….

What might the rest of your story look like?  (P-Ditty / Sean Combs)

David…. King / warrior / poet…. Wrote this down to help us….

Psalm 51, Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love;

according to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!….

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight,

so that You may be justified in Your words and blameless in Your judgment.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, You delight in truth in the inward being,

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that You have broken rejoice.

Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing aloud of Your righteousness.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.

For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

You will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Do good to Zion in Your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;

then will You delight in right sacrifices,

in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Sin is more than just making wrong choices….

Sin: Missing the mark…. Not doing / being that which God has called you to do / be.

How many of us could be confronted for the sin of missing the mark?

Tonight we don’t look at this story from the perspective of Nathan….

(We probably don’t need much encouragement in addressing sin in others)

But from the perspective of David….

Lesson: How will I respond when a friend cares enough to confront me with my sin?

Confronted by a brother / Scripture / conscience….

God’s grace / mercy doesn’t allow David’s cover up to work….

(Godly sorrow leads to repentance / forgiveness / life)

But first we must be driven to our knees….

Calvin: Don’t be surprised if God speaks to you gently and then strikes you with a heavy hand….

Sin always has consequences / scars / baggage….

Sometimes on the outside for everyone to see….

Sometimes on the inside where only you know….

Why might God strike you with a heavy hand?

David’s consequences led him to repent / lead others to repentance.

To see sin / ignore it…. Fail to confront….

Is to have blood on your hands…. (It’s that serious)

I don’t say that to have you focused on your need to confront others…. Not now….

But for you to see the need to be confronted….

And the love / obedience in the person God sends to confront.

They won’t do it perfectly…. (Words / tone / timing…. )

Not the point…. Don’t be distracted from what is most important….

We are all very flawed / stained / hurting….

See the message coming from God. (Angel / bush / donkey…. )

God sent this person to get you back on course….

Instead of just watching you drift slowly…. Farther away….

Psalm 32:3-5, For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”

1st Kings 2:1-3, When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in His ways and keeping His statutes….

Men understand / welcome / accept confrontation…. Even from imperfect people….

Galatians 6:1, Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

The standard is Scripture….

The goal is restoration….

The attitude is gentleness….

The warning is pride….

We are all of us…. The man….

Our response must be the same as David’s…. Cry out for mercy.

How will you look at the messenger that God sent to confront?

(Hate / break off relationship / memories too painful…. )

Here’s a hint at how David viewed his relationship with Nathan….

1st Chronicles 3:5, These were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon….

(Just a guess…. David may have named a son in honor of Nathan)

Lesson: How will I respond when a friend cares enough to confront me with my sin?

Questions:

Do you have that kind of friend? Do you want that kind of friend?

How can we pray for you?

Who do you know that needs this group?

Next Week: Solomon (1st Kings 1-11)