Thou Art The Man

THOU ART THE MAN

2 Samuel 12:1-10

INTRO: We all have heard GOOD NEWS and BAD NEWS jokes.

ILLUS: Did you hear about the man who went to the doctor because he had a severe obesity problem? The doctor examined him very carefully, and said, “I have some good news and some bad news.” “The good news is that there is not anything wrong with your appetite. The bad news is, according to your weight, you’re not as tall as you should be.”

We all love to hear good news, and if we can, we will do all we can to keep from hearing any bad news. The prophet Nathan delivered GOOD NEWS and BAD NEWS to King David. Look at the...

1. GOOD NEWS. David had defeated all his enemies and God had given him peace with all nations that surrounded him. David realized that he was living in a house built of cedar, while the ark of God was still housed in a tent. We should be bothered, like David, when we live in fine homes and the house of God is a disgrace. David wanted to build a house for the Lord, but God told him he could not.

However, here is the good news. Look at 2 Samuel 7:12-13. It is a marvelous thing when God will use us in his service, but equally marvelous when He will use our children. The prophet Nathan brought David good news. He also brought...

2. BAD NEWS. David had done some terrible things and God knew all about those sins he had committed. But notice that as bad as the new was that Nathan brought, there was also some good news. God forgave David (12:13). We can come to God with a repentant heart and He will forgive us of our sins and give us eternal life.

But enough about David. There is someone else in this passage that we would like to focus on. David is the primary figure, but Nathan steals the show from him.

I. THE PROPHET AND HIS MINISTRY.

His Courage. In today’s society we often get courage and stupidity mixed up. For example, if a person climbs into a basket and jumps out on a bungee cord we say, “Oh, what courage!” There is a difference between courage and stupidity. Nathan was a man of courage! When God has a rough job to be done, He does not look for a coward; He looks for a person that has the courage to do the job.

ILLUS: One of our denominational (Southern Baptist) leaders stated: “One of the reasons that many Baptist churches are having the problems they are having today is because there are too many whimpy preachers in the pulpits.” He was not trying to be mean, he was only stating what he believed to be the problem. He was right on target.

We have some who are afraid to be like Nathan and deal with the sins of the people. Today this is considered to be negative preaching and we have been told that we should not preach on negative issues. Preaching the truth about sin is not negative preaching. Some do not preach the truth about sin because they lack the courage. They know it takes a lot less courage to preach what people want to hear than what they need to hear.

His Wisdom. How did God use Nathan? God led Nathan to use his intellectual talents. He knew exactly how to perform spiritual heart surgery. He knew David had sinned and that those things had to be EXPOSED and REMOVED. Look what Nathan did! He told David a story that David thought was a true story. Many times we have to see the evil in someone else’s life before we can see it in our own life.

II. THE PROPHET AND HIS METHOD.

God used Nathan to show king David that he could not hide his sins.

David Could Not Hide His Sins From Himself. Two things had happened. 1. David committed adultery. 2. David committed murder. I am convinced that one of the reasons so many people today are alcoholics and dope addicts is because they are trying to run from the reality of their past. They need to come to Jesus and ask for forgiveness.

David Could Not Hide His Sins From others (v. 12). Did you know that you cannot sin without others knowing about it. God will see to it that someone will know. Probably David was sure everything was all right by the time we read of God sending Nathan to him in chapter 12. He probably thought he had committed the perfect crime and gotten away with it.

David Could Not Hide His Sins From God. We may actually play games with sin and hide it from OURSELVES and from OTHERS for a little while, but you cannot commit sin and hide it from God for one second. God saw David when he... — lusted after Bathsheba, — sought after Bathsheba, — committed adultery with Bathsheba, — murdered Bathsheba’s husband. God saw all of this. Finally David, because of Nathan’s obedience to God, realized he could not sin and get away with it.