You Are the Man!

2 Samuel 12:1-7

Focus: The love of God which calls us back

Function: To help people understand that conviction is good and necessitates a Godly response.

Form: Narrative of the story.

Intro:

I have a wedding here Saturday night.

During the rehearsal, sometimes I do a bogus set of vows that deal with the command in Ephesians 5 for a man to love his wife more than himself, and the wife to respect her husband.

Instead of saying “I do” the man is instructed to say: “Yes, Dear!”

And the woman is instructed to say: “you da man!”

You da man! A phrase used to compliment someone on excelling at a task.

Did you know that the phrase is also found in the Bible?

“You are the man!?”

Here is the story,

The king has life and death power

The prophet approached him in such a way to win him

He tells him a story and asks his opinion

David gives a judgment

The prophet with all the guts in the world points his finger at David and accuses him of the wickedness.

However, David’s was a worse sinner.

Here is David’s story.

He was king of Israel and had everything his heart desired.

God blessed him.

With his wealth, David took his eyes off of God, and needed things to satisfy him.

Along comes Bathsheba, he has an affair with her, she gets pregnant, so he tries to cover it up and ends up arranging for her husbands murder and marries her.

Perhaps then, the worst thing possible happens.

He gets away with it.

Read the Psalms of David and see his absolute love for the Lord.

He understands a key Christian principle. (SHOW) “Christianity is not religion or dogma, but it is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”

When I read the Psalms, I see a guy who is truly happy because he seeks first the kingdom of God and God gives him peace.

Yet, he turned his back on the only source of joy and peace there is, to sin against God.

Worst of all. He THINKS he got away with it.

And because of that, he is depressed and scared.

Read Heb 12:6 (SHOW)

My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be crushed by it either. It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects.

(Sit on the chair and act it out)

Miserable, because his sin hasn’t brought him peace, only problems.

(Stand)

I believe that many people are depressed because their conscience is so seared from sin and rationalization and there appears to be no consequences for their actions.

· Little kid at Church camp.

· they know they are loved and they are afraid because they need boundaries set for them

· those who deny the God live without peace because their lives have no limits.

· there is no purpose

(Sit)

Imagine the king, brooding, wishing the day would be over. And all of a sudden this prophet comes in.

Imagine the embarrassment “You are the man!”

“The natural response when someone confronts us is to deny the sin and to be angry at the accuser.”

But not David, and this is why He is a man after God’s own heart.

Read verse 13. (SHOW)

Then David confessed to Nathan, "I've sinned against God." Nathan pronounced, "Yes, but that's not the last word. God forgives your sin. You won't die for it.

David is relieved

1 that God cares about His sin because those who are not disciplined are not loved.

He knows that if He is convicted of Sin, and he repents, he is forgiven and he misses his relationship with God. That is why we are created, to have fellowship with God.

· if it isn’t there, you are miserable.

· And relieved that he can be forgiven.

· God does not send the Holy Spirit to convict us in order to leave us in shame.

· His Spirit comes to set us free.

· I have had dozens of people ask me if I thought they committed the unpardonable sin,

· If they are afraid of it, they haven’t committed it.

o woe to the person who never feels guilty for sin.

o woe to the Christian who is learning to harden their hearts against sin.

CONCL; Are you convicted or guilty about sin?

have you been sinning and getting away with it?

Jesus is here to forgive you.

please come