“You’re the Man”

Jen Wilken wrote… Here are some common unhelpful ways to read and study God's Word:

The Xanax Approach. Feel anxious? Read Feel tired? Read . The Xanax Approach treats the Bible as if it exists to make us feel better. Bible study is about finding comfort for my issues. The problem with this approach is that I ask how the Bible can serve me, rather than how I can serve the God it proclaims.

The Pinball Approach. Lacking a reference or any guidance on what to read, I read whatever Scripture verse I happen to turn to next, ricocheting from one passage to the next. But the Pinball Approach gives no thought to the culture, history, authorship, or original intent of the passage.

The Magic 8 Ball Approach. Remember the Magic 8 Ball? You just shake it and wait until it provides a clear answer to your most difficult questions. But the Bible isn't magical and its primary function is to transform us rather than to answer our most pressing questions.

The Personal Shopper Approach. We don't actually study the Bible; rather, we shop around for Bible teachers or preachers who suit our tastes. This isn't all bad, but it can prevent us from taking ownership of Scripture. Much like the Pinball Approach, we ricochet from teacher to teacher and topic to topic without getting the tools to study God's Word for ourselves.

The Jack Sprat Approach. In the English nursery rhyme, the character Jack Sprat "could eat no fat." We take this approach when we're picky eaters who refuse to digest certain parts of the Bible. But all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable. We need a balanced diet to grow into maturity.

Well, many times, we can find ourselves not necessarily approaching or treating the Bible the way we should. The ole pattern of the world pressure. The Chaplin at Calvin college in Michigan is admittedly struggling with the lifestyles of her students and upholding the truths of scriptures. She admits that she wants to honor them but is having a difficult time reconciling their behavior with the Word of God. She wants to set the Word aside for her students. Yes more and more we see that the Word of God is being set aside to honor people. We do need to honor people, but not at the expense of honoring the Lord and His Word. Is our society, our culture, maybe even the church now laying the Word of God aside? Well the Word of God warns us about laying the Word of God aside in contempt… David did this and we learned and we will continue to learn today.

We saw the disastrous effects of the sin of David with Bathsheba. Not only did we see adultery, we saw David’s deception and his clever and ingenious plan to have Uriah murdered. And it worked. David now might have thought he got away with it, but now we will find out that he did not. God sees all things.

After David’s sinful actions, Nathan the prophet was send by the Lord to tell him a story. To tell him a parable. There were two men, one rich and one poor. The rich man owned many cattle but the poor man owned only one little lamb. He raised it with his children. It ate from his plate and drank from his own cup and cuddled with it like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man and he seized the little lamb of the poor man and instead of killing one from his own flock, his killed the lamb and prepared it for his guest. Now after hearing this David exploded in anger. He declared that if anyone would do something like this he will be put to death and will repay the man four times what he took without pity. Nathan declared… you’re the man. The Lord declares that he had given you the kingdom and all of the possessions of King Saul, including his wives. And if that was not enough, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise my word and do this evil thing? You murdered Uriah and stole his wife. From now on your family will live by the sword. Your whole house will rebel against you and I will give your wives to other men before your eyes and he will go to bed with them for all to see. You did your sin in private but this will be for all to see. Then David with conviction in his heart, proven in , he confessed and repented before the Lord. Nathan then gave David really good news… the Lord has forgiven you and you won’t die for this sin. But because you had contempt for the Word of the Lord, your child will die.

2 Samuel 12:13–14 NLT

Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing this, your child will die.”

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

The Parable of Nathan

2. The Precious Power and Purpose of the Parables

3. Kindness Leads to Repentance

The first thing we are gonna look at today is some of the details of Nathan’s parable and how it lovingly brought judgement upon David. The second thing is the beauty of parables and how it was used by our Lord to lovingly display the setting us free kind of truth. Finally, we will look at how the kindness of the Lord with parables showed us the beauty of the kingdom of Heaven and brought us repentance.

Thesis: Though our flesh and the deceptions of this world cause us to sin horribly, like David did, despising the Lord and showing contempt for His word, it is the kindness of the Lord that will lead us to repentance and forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I. The Parable of Nathan

-To trample on His commandment is to trample on the Commander.

A. Now we got a bit more irony here. In the previous chapter, the constant use of Shlah, David sent for his servant to find out who she was, sent servants to get her, sent to Joab to send Uriah, he sent to find out what was wrong with Uriah, he sent for Uriah to get him drunk, he sent Uriah to give Joab a letter from David, and he sent for Bathsheba so he could marry her.

B. Now in this chapter the Lord sent Nathan. And Nathan begins with a parable. The parable opens with the imagery of a shepherd, which of course would strike a chord with David who was a shepherd himself.

C. The parable also touches David’s heart by showing how a poor man could be rich in love and compassion as he cared for the little lamb. And the rich man comes into the scene and showed contempt for the word of the Lord and did something that was forbidden in the Scriptures.

Exodus

Exodus 22:1–2 NLT

“If someone steals an ox or sheep and then kills or sells it, the thief must pay back five oxen for each ox stolen, and four sheep for each sheep stolen. “If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a house and is struck and killed in the process, the person who killed the thief is not guilty of murder.

I. The Parable of Nathan

-To trample on His commandment is to trample on the Commander.

D. David is enraged and decides as he should, as the king of Israel, carry-out the prescriptions of the law for this transgression. He shall die and repay. Wow he was quick to judge. For sure!

E. Nathan says, oh yeah? Well you’re the Man! Here it comes. The fury of God’s Grace with the precious and power purposed in this parable. Yes, let me say it again, the Fury of God’s Grace. Let’s watch the grace of God unfold in this rebuke. You’re kidding right? Nope. Here we go. Loving judgement! Many times when judgement come’s the Lord begins with grace.

F. David I showed you tremendous grace. I gave you the highest position in the country and all of the possessions of the former king. If you wanted more I would have given you more. Was it not enough? Here is a picture of the grace that God had on David. He was not nor never really was, deprived… David was the rich man in the story. And nothing pierces the hearts more than seeing what God has done for us, before we are judged. But the reality is, we are never satisfied. R we? I can’t get no satisfaction.

G. The fantasy of winning an Olympic medal is what propels these athletes forward.

But as we know, all medals are not created equal. USA Today cited a report that surveyed the happiness and contentment level of the gold, silver, and bronze medal winners. No surprises, the happiest athletes were the gold medalists. The next result, however, may surprise you. You may think the silver medalists were next on the happiness scale. They weren't. The bronze medalists were happier than the silver medalists. The silver medalists think; I came so close to winning gold. The bronze medalists think; I almost didn't get a medal—I'm grateful to be on the podium. One reflects on what they have, the other reflects on what they don't have. The third-place athlete is happier than the second-place athlete. Psychologists describe this as counterfactual thinking. It's the "I could have" or "I should have" state of mind.

Sadly, sometimes we suffer from this "silver medal syndrome." All of us Though we have the highest standard of living and accomplishments in recorded history, we never quite seem to have enough.

H. Is it true that we are never satisfied? One important virtue we lack… contentment. We always gotta have more. Even if God were to grant us 3 wishes, how many of us would use our 1st wish to wish for more wishes. What if God says ok fine… name your price give me a number? Would we say…more.

I. Many of us are super rich with the grace of God already…it is because we have the Holy Spirit. How much more do we really need? As the people of God have we not all we need for life and godliness and a promise that Christ will provide all of our needs according to his riches? But we want more especially those things that we cannot have. Coveting? Oh no wait we call it consumerism now… right?

J. But what we should see here is the clear pointing out of David’s ignoring of the Word of God. He despised it, He treated it with contempt. That’s what was declared by Nathan.

K. Ralph Davis states, by his adultery and murder David had despised Yahweh’s commandments, his word. He treated them as though they didn’t matter. To despise Yahweh’s word, however, is to despise the One who has given the word; to trample on his commandment is to trample on the Commander.

L. When we are not satisfied, when we are not fulfilled, when we desire more than the Lord has provided or believe that he will not provide. Do we, like David, despise the word of the Lord. For many of us, we know what the Lord says. We know what it says about our desires and passions, our unkind treatment of people, our deceptions to gain, our theft and unfaithfulness. When we sin do we disregard and ignore the word of God. Do you know that you have to ignore the word of God if you are going to sin? Have we despised the Lord, have we shown the word of the Lord contempt?

M. Much of what we are seeing today is a consistent setting aside of the Word of God. The compromises being made today is the setting aside the Word of the Lord for the ideas and ingenuity of man. Setting aside the Word of God to reach the World, but the only thing that will reach the world is the truth of the Word of God. When the world is accepting of us when we set the Word of God aside it is not because they are honoring our beliefs, convictions and values. They are celebrating our compromise and the joining of them in their setting aside the Word of God.

N. And one more thing here about this parable to David. In the end, Nathan makes it very clear that you are the man. Look, David was oblivious. The way he responded showed that he did not see himself in this parable. The way he responded, showed how hardened he became to the sin he committed and he was quick to judge. The way he responded, showed how quick he was to see others as the offenders.

O. When it comes to our own sins, will we not be honest with ourselves when we are face to face with the judgements of God? Do we not see ourselves in the parables of Jesus? When it comes to our own sins, have we become so hardened to it that we are just not aware or repressed it that we don’t even recognize it or are convicted by it anymore? Are we so quick to judge others? Many time people will be quick on judging things that they struggle with. When it comes to our own sins do we try to deflect on to someone else? Look man I’m not the one you gotta talk too, but you need to talk to my daughter, my nephew, your uncle, your grandma, your father. They need it not me.

P. Well here we go. Here it is. Today, I am telling us all…we are the man. We are the woman. The Bible says All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. No one is righteous no not one. If we say that we do not sin, then we make God a liar.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 NLT

Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.

Ecclesiasties

Ok fine, but I did not sin as bad as some of those murderers out there. James says that if you have broken even the smallest commandment you are as guilty as one who has broken all of it. Let’s let that sink in. You’re the man. You’re the woman. All of us.

II. The Precious Power and Purpose of the Parables

- Jesus’ purposes of parables was to reveal the kingdom bringing us to repentance.

A. The Judgement of this parable is a wonderful display of the grace and compassion of God. But Shane it is judgement. And in this judgement in this parable David saw God’s grace, His Holiness, His Righteousness, His Immutability, His Power, His Sovereignty, His Glory, His Justice, His recompense, His Compassion, His Mercy, His Love, His Faithfulness to His Covenant, His patience and never forget that this is judgement, he did not see His Wrath. This is grace my friends. Parables warn us. Parables let us know that there is something wrong. Parables tell us not to take the dangerous road when we don’t know we are on it. It is grace upon grace.

B. If God is showing us all of this, it is grace.

-If God wants to have anything to do with us, even Him caring enough to discipline us when we need it, it is grace. The Author of the Hebrews said that God’s discipline is Him treating us as His children, that is grace.

-If God is doing all he can to reveal his attributes to us, His Love and care, it is grace.

-If God is even dealing with us today period, then this is grace. It is grace.

- If God does not just kill us all, blow us up, and send us to hell, or leave us alone, then it is grace.

- And If we actually care and are convicted and saddened by our sins, it is grace. If we care, it is grace. T’was grace that taught my heart to fear. This is grace. Watch!

C. David in this parable experienced and recognized the Lord’s kindness even in the Lord’s justice, tolerance, patience, and rebuke. Don’t believe me?

Romans 2:4 NLT

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

D. This is what happened to David. And He said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” There was no justification, no explanation, no negotiation, and no arbitration. His words were few.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 NLT

Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.

- David repented! This parable led him to repentance.

E. We know that David truly repented before the Lord. Some might think that he just said sorry and so he got off easy. No, he felt the sting of his sin and his repentance was true as we saw as we studied .

F. This was Jesus’ purposes of parables. It was to reveal the kingdom bringing us all to repentance. John the Baptist cried, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. The parables are super convicting and leading us to grapple with our sin leading us to seek forgiveness and repent before our King. Repentance is huge. Parables bring judgement, it is a loving warning and a promise that there will be forgiveness. This is the reason why Jonah did not want to go to Ninevah to preach. Because he knew that if the words actually penetrated their hearts they would repent… and if that happens our compassionate and merciful God will be gracious to them. And we should rejoice over this. The judgement the warnings. Because the bad thing is when we don’t repent. Repentance is a gift of the Lord. May we be thankful.

I. This is what it means to be a Christian. Christian’s are not those who no longer sin. Let’s get real, that not happening. Christians are not those who don’t always sin, but those who always repents. And David teaches us this in . This is the Gospel.

III. Kindness Leads to Repentance

- It’s His kindness that leads us to repentance.

A. And after David’s repentance, Nathan then pronounced the forgiveness of the Lord and the judgement that he will not die. He said that he was forgiven and that he would not die for what he had done. Did you get that? Remember that.

B. And David was then told, however, that because of what you did, your child will die. David’s child died. This is the result of David’s sin. He did not die, his child did. And because of David’s sin, Adam’s sin, Abraham’s sin, Solomon’s sin, Peter’s sin, Paul’s sin, your sin, my sin, and all of our sins… Another one of David’s children had to die according to God’s judgement. We were not going to die; another of David’s children was going to die.

C. His great grand - to about the 27th power - son. The baby born in the manger in Bethlehem. Our Lord Jesus died for our sins. Jesus took the one thing David did not see or one thing we, Christians, will never see. The Wrath of God.

D. Jesus died for our sins, according to the scriptures and he was buried… He became sin who knew no sin that we might become…

E. The promise continues… all who call upon the name of the Lord…If you confess…

F. We do find deliverance with the work and sacrifice of a son of David who will also continue the reign of David with a kingdom that will last forever, with a descendant who will sit on the throne forever.

G. We did receive a better kingdom and a better king. Because we needed one. The king of Israel showed unfaithfulness to the word, Christ showed faithfulness and obedience to the Word, all the way to the cross, and brought to us forgiveness and repentance with His wonderful kindness.