Group Notes | July 19

Best Supporting Actor
July 19, 2015
Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Open:

No matter what your station in life is, the responsibility to confront someone who is in the wrong is probably a difficult task. Can someone share a time when you had to confront a person about their actions?

This week we continue the series “Best Supporting Actor,” focusing on biblical characters, who, though having a small part in Scripture, have lessons with deep and lasting implications. Today we look at the prophet Nathan as he confronts King David.

Discuss:

Nathan’s Point:

Hypocrisy

1. Read 2 Samuel 12:1-6. Certainly Nathan knew his confrontation with David could have disastrous results. What are some of the consequences possible when confronting someone who is in the wrong?

2. As Christians, we, like David, are in the public eye. What are some common sins in the church that cause the world to label us as “hypocrites”?
Take a Look In the Mirror

3. Read verses 7, 8. God used Nathan to point out David’s sin. How is it possible to be immune to or rationalize sin in your life?

4. What are some reasons it is always easier to be upset over the sins of others than over your own? Read Romans 2:1.

Call To Repentance

5. Read verse 9. Nathan was called to awaken David’s conscience, but is any sin hidden from God? (Read Psalm 69:5). Who is it hurting?

Fear

6. Read verses 10-12 for God’s perspective. These are not consequences, but punishments. What is the difference?
Genuine Repentance

7. How does David respond in verse 13? What is God’s immediate response?

8. Who can quote 1 John 1:9, and apply it to all of us?

The Ugly Truth

9. Sin, no matter how private or public, is like a cancer. Read verse 14a for the consequences of David’s actions. Do you or someone you know have a sin that can potentially destroy your effectiveness as a believer (do not answer aloud)?

Close:

As we go into small group time, consider the ramifications of David’s sin, which destroyed two families and impacted the lives of his children. Yet sin within the church can equally destroy its effectiveness. Hypocrisy in the church will end only when Christians model holiness in a right relationship with God, genuinely repenting instantly when sin arises, and then putting it behind you and getting on with life, trying to “sin no more.” Pray God would grant you a renewed desire for holiness and a constant awareness that any sin has effects beyond yourself.

Memory Verse: 2 Samuel 12:9a: “Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight?”

Further Study at Home: Take a few moments to read Psalm 51, written after David’s repentance. Consider also the life of Joseph, who, when he was the focus of someone’s temptation, ran. How different would David’s life have been if Bathsheba had “run” when King David summoned her?