When The Chickens Come Home To Roost

"WHEN THE CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST"

2 Samuel 12:9-14

Introduction:

By the show of hands, has anyone in here ever done anything wrong or wronged someone??.... By doing so you didnt want anyone to know, so you kept quiet about it ... thinking if I just keep my mouth shut no one will know.

When I was growing up in Dacusville S.C., it was not uncommon for there to be chickens running around in the yards of people. They would collect their eggs and take a young hen, from time to time for fried chicken or chicken and dumplings (can I get a wittness). Now, during the day, those chickens would scratch around in the yard, the pasture or even on the side of the road, sometimes they would venture into the edge of the woods. But, sometime on up in the afternoon, those chickens would begin to head back to their roost. They might wander far and wide, but they always went to the roost when evening came.

There is a verse in the Old Testament that says, “…and be sure your sin will find you out,” Numbers 32:23. That is not a threat. It is not even a promise. It is just the plain "TRUTH". Just like those chickens that could be depended on to head back to the roost at evening, you can be sure of the fact that your sins will come home to you too.

*** SHORT VERISION OF TESTIMONY ***

I want to preach about "When Your Chickens Come Home To Roost." I want to take God's Word and show you what we can expect when we allow sin to flourish in our lives. There are consequences and they are very unpleasant. Let’s look into 2 Samuel 12:9-14:18 and learn what to expect "When Your Chickens Come Home To Roost."

**STAND=READ=PRAY**

What David did displeased the Lord, and God is going to do something about it. You see, God did something about man's sin. He gave Jesus Christ to die on the Cross and pay the penalty -- sin is that serious. It is God who says that sin is so bad that it required the death of His Son. If you turn your back on God, you are lost. However, if you are God's man and you drop into sin, God is going to deal with you.

Back in chapter 11 David was sitting on his throne in complacency. The first verse of chapter 12 introduces us to Nathan, one of the bravest and boldest men in all the bible. David could have merely lifted his hand and without a word and had Nathan executed for his audacity. This, however, did not stop Nathan.

Nathan told David a story. It was a story that revealed David as if he were looking in a mirror. Nathan is going to hold up a mirror so that David can get a good look at himself. I can imagine things come to a halt when Nathan came in town. Since Nathan was God's prophet, David ask him, "Do you have anything from the Lord for me?" He said I do. He told a story about two men in one city. One man was rich and the other man was poor -- a typical city with its ghetto, hoods and its rich estates.

David thought Nathan had brought before him a case for someone in the kingdom and was asking for David to rule upon it. David had a sense of right and wrong. He also had a sense of justice. He is redheaded and hotheaded. When he heard Nathan's story, he probably sprang to his feet and demanded, "Where is this man? We will arrest him. We will execute him!"

It is interesting how easily you can see the sin in somebody else, but you cannot see it in your own life. That was David's problem.

Can you imagine, that the people was shocked when they heard what Nathan said to David? I am sure there were many present who did not know what had happened. They hear Nathan accuse David of the most brutal crime written in the books. David has done the things that God said, "Thou shalt not do." Is he going to get by with it?

Now there is 3 things I want you to see about King David today. The first is -

I.) THE PRINCIPLE DAVID ENCOUNTERED

David discovered a spiritual principle that holds true in every person’s life. Here is the principle: “God always instantly and completely forgives sin when there is confession and true repentance; but He does not remove the consequences of our sins.”

· . The bible says; “the Lord hath put away thy sin”, v. 13, and “the sword shall never depart from thine house”, v. 10.