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 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Does anyone remember who we talked about last time?

 extrasweet_candy says, nope

 jesusworker_99 says, david

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Right

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, david

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, There was also a woman involved...what was her name?

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, bathsheba

 jesusworker_99 says, right donna

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Right...that makes one star for Mary and one for Donna. 

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, Bathsheba

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, lol

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Does anyone in here know why God puts stories about adultery and murder in the Bible?  Does it mean He condones them?

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, no it's for a guidance to those who read

 jesusworker_99 says, noo it  teaches us not to do it

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, no for our guidance

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, yes, it is to show us good and bad ways of handling our sin.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, We are all human and we all sin.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, In this we are all equal.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, But it is in how we deal with that sin once we have committed it that there are differences.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, It is how we deal with sin that separates the Christians from the non-Christians.

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, listening

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Tonight we are going to see two people's responses to their sin.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, One will be a good response and one is a bad one.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Turn to 2 Samuel 12

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, ok

 jesusworker_99 says, there

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Actually, if we start in the last verse of chapter 11, we read, "But the thing David had done displeased the LORD."

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, At this point in the story, David is a bad example of how to deal with sin.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, He covered it over, at the expense of Uriah's life, and then married Bathsheba so nobody would be the wiser.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, At this time, did David think he'd gotten away with it?

 jesusworker_99 says, yes

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, yes

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, But do we ever really get away with sin?

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, no way

 jesusworker_99 says, no

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, absolutely not

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, That's right....the consequences of our actions are still there...and remember, God is all-knowing so He knows what we did.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, So, what did the Lord do?  "The LORD sent Nathan to David. "

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Now, Nathan was a prophet.  He told people messages from the Lord.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, In those days God's Holy Spirit did not live in each person

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, But only came to rest on certain people for certain times.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Also, they didn't have the Bible yet, so they didn't have anything to refer to.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, They had to listen to prophets to see what God wanted them to do.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Now we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us and the Bible to show us what is right and what is wrong and what God wants us to do.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, We don't have prophets like that any more because God has finished what He had to say.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Hold your finger there in 2 Samuel and turn to Hebrews 1:1

 extrasweet_candy says, did they have false prophets so they had to pick the truthful ones?

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Yes, Kristin, they did.  The test for a false prophet was if they said God said something and it didn't come true, then they were a false prophet.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Real prophets always had a 100% accuracy.

 extrasweet_candy says, oh

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, That is also how we can judge someone who claims to have a "word" from the Lord today.  If what they say does not come to pass, even one little thing that they said the Lord told them, then they are false prophets.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, It's very serious business to put words in the mouth of the Almighty.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, In Heb. 1:1-2 we read, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe."

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, This verse tells us that the type of prophecy that was used in the Old Testament is no longer needed today.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, We now have the Holy Spirit and the Bible to rely on instead.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, There is, however, a gift of prophecy that the Holy Spirit gives, and it might in a few instances be something that foretells the future.....but....

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, More likely it is the type of prophecy that is not a FOREtelling, but a FORTH telling.

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, and it's not always biblical

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, what is the difference?

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, When someone stands up in front of a group of people and preaches where people are convicted to humble themselves before God, that is FORTH telling...telling the word of God to others to bring conviction.

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, ok thx

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, That is when the preacher preaches a really good sermon and you feel like you need to go right to the altar and repent of your sins.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Predicting the future, though, is not really something God does much of.

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, right

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, He might tell you something personally for your own future, but even if you believe you have heard God tell you something, you still need to test it.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, The only real test we have is if it comes true or not.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, When I was in training to go on the mission field, they had me listed to go to Montpellier, France.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, In my heart, though, I kept feeling like I was supposed to go to Paris.

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, listening

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, As it worked out, I did indeed go to Paris with a different team. 

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, However, when I was in college....

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, I felt in my heart that I was supposed to be a student staff in the campus ministry I was very involved in.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Because I really believed that was from God, when it didn't happen, I was totally crushed and sunk into a deep depression, and became suicidal.

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, that's the way it is when a tongues and interpretation come forth in a word/faith movement church the person supposedly spoke to is destroyed if it doesn't come true

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Or worse, I thought He was this big Lucy Van Pelt, sitting up in the sky, egging me on to kick that football just one more time...and then, like Charlie Brown, I'd run and put all I had into it and then fall flat on my back when God pulled the ball away.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, The reason I did was because I was sure it was from God and when it didn't happen, I felt like God had abandoned me....

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Those two are switched...hate it when Yahoo does that to me. 

€  ParepidemosOAMpastor says, Yes Marcie, very true.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Actually, Marcie, that is what SHOULD happen...but it doesn't.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, They say, "Oh, well, we're all human and we all make mistakes"

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, If that is so, then the prophets of the Old Testament were also human and so you can't trust anything in the Bible.

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, that's true I've seen that too.. but have seen lives destroyed becuase of it too

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, But I digress. 

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, In this case, we have Nathan, a true prophet of the Lord, sent to confront David about his sin.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Now, who in here loves it when people come up and point out their sin?

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, not I

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, no one

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, There are two basic reactions you can have when someone tells you what you have done wrong.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, You can either be angry about it and harden your heart.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Or your heart can soften and become repentant.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Deep down in David's heart, he loved God and wanted to please Him.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, The situation with Bathsheba was one where David chose what pleased himself over what was pleasing to God.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, But God knew that David was a fair man.....only blinded to his own sin that he had done.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, And we all are guilty of this.....

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, yes

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, We find wonderful ways to justify our sin.

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, yep we sure do

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, At first we might feel very bad for doing it, but as that sin continues, we push that guilty feeling away and the hardening of our hearts begins.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, By this time, David had really hardened his heart....to the point of having Uriah killed.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, And then marrying his widow.

Your buddy pattymack2 leaves games

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, So, God sent Nathan to tell David a story...a story that was sure to grab his heart.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, And knock some sense into him. 

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, knows that I need that sometimes

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Does anyone remember what David was doing when he was anointed to be king?

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, attending the sheep?

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, yep, he had been out in the fields with the sheep

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Spending all that time alone with the sheep, he became quite fond of them.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, I'm sure he had one special one that was kind of like "Mary's little lamb"....that followed him everywhere....

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, That he would cuddle in his arms.....that he would pet....

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, One that grabbed his heart in particular.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, God knew every bit of David and had seen all those days when David was out with his sheep....And God knew exactly what would catch David's heart the most.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity."

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, David, the shepherd, was outraged!

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, He couldn't believe that someone would be so callous that they would take away what little this poor man had.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, And one of the most dramatic statements came out of Nathan's mouth in response to David's outrage.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man!

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Imagine being David and hearing this.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Here you were, king of the entire nation, and a man had just come in and denounced you, most likely in front of many of your close friends and courtiers.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, But since it was from a proven prophet of God, there was no doubt about the truth of it.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, He knew inside that his sin had been exposed.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, And here was the focal point of the entire story......

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, What was going to be David's response to his exposed sin?

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, to repent

 Wvstarwolf_OAM_Counselor says, and ask for forgiveness

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, He could have been angry and sent Nathan away, or had him executed, even.....

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, But David's heart had not lost all of its softness.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, But even more than saying these words, his heart was broken inside of him as he saw the awfulness of what he had done.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Turn over to Psalm 51

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, The subtitle of this tells us what David did....."For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba."

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, ok

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, I can't cut and paste the whole thing because it goes by lines and my text thing won't do it right when it's like that.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, But I do want to paste a specific verse....

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, a broken and contrite heart,

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, O God, you will not despise.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Remember when Saul disobeyed God?

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Do you remember what he did when Samuel came up to him and exposed his sin?

 Serving_A_Loving_God says, yes he wasn't broken and contrite

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Samuel said, What's this bleating of the sheep I hear?

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, And Saul made all kinds of excuses as to why he hadn't destroyed everything like God had told him.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, But David didn't make excuses.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, He feel on his face and his heart was broken before God.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, It is this kind of response we must have when we sin.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, We must see the terribleness of our sin, how awful and repugnant it is before God.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, And how depraved and evil our hearts are.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, It is only when we really see this that we can see God's grace for what it is.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Grace comes only to those who don't deserve anything.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, If you deserved it, then it couldn't be grace.....grace must be completely freely given, without any merit in us.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, And it is only when we know for sure that we deserve nothing in this life, not happiness, not health, not love, absolutely nothing

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, It is only then that we can drink in the cool, refreshing grace of God

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, The grace that we do not deserve, that we do not merit, that we have done nothing at all to earn.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, The grace that God has given to us DESPITE our sinful, rebellious, evil hearts

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, The grace that reaches down to our souls and heals us of our wounded hearts.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, When we believe we deserve something, then we are not grateful for the grace God has given us.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, It is through seeing ourselves as we truly are that we can see God as He truly is, reaching down to us with an incredible love that does not love BECAUSE, but IN SPITE of who we are.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, Let us pray this week that God will show us who we really are so we can see who He really is, and gratefully take hold of that grace that He has given us.

 Chalkbrd_OAM_Counselor says, ** the end **