In 2 Samuel 7-10, King David’s life is trending upward. He’s winning battles, ruling justly, and receiving amazing promises from God. And then, seemingly from nowhere, David sees Bathsheba bathing on a nearby rooftop and his life spirals into conspiracy, adultery, and murder.
How can such good and such evil reside in the soul of one man? How can he display such incredible godliness and shocking wickedness in such a short span? What happened to David? And what can we do to avoid his disasters when we sense the same coexistence of good and evil in our own souls? Most importantly, what does this story teach us about the patience and purpose of God in the world?

Usually, failure teaches more than victory. This week, we will learn from both.

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SEE IT // BE IT

(WEEKLY COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE)

Title: Rise and Reign: “You are the man!” // Scripture: 2 Samuel 7-12

ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.

SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes

In 2 Samuel 7–10, King David’s life is trending upward. He’s winning battles, ruling justly, and receiving amazing promises from God. And then, seemingly from nowhere, David sees Bathsheba bathing on a nearby rooftop and his life spirals into conspiracy, adultery, and murder. How can such good and such evil reside in the soul of one man? Usually, failure teaches more than victory. This week, we learn from both.

THE MAIN THOUGHT keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
Poor choices will cause great pain.

SEE IT – Questions 10-15 minutes

Picture (What is the story saying?): Do you see conditions attached to God’s promises to David? What happened to David between God’s promise in chapter 7 and David’s compromise in chapter 12?

Mirror (Where am I in the story?): What can we do to avoid similar disasters when we sense coexistence of good and evil in our own souls? Is my relationship with God becoming ritualistic like David’s was? Who is my Nathan who will speak both blessing and challenge into my life?

Window (How does the story change how I see those around me?): What does this story teach us about the patience and purpose of God in the world?

BE IT – Practice

At Grace each week we use the ideas of Worship, Word, and Wonder to guide our Sunday morning experiences. This week we want you to use these ideas to guide you in your community experience.

Change UP // Exercise 5 minutes
Read Psalm 51 together. Create space to hear from the Lord about any aspects of your life that need healing and restoration. Wait for him to speak to you in a word, picture, or song.

Change IN // Group Activity 5 minutes
Share what God spoke to you during the UP time. As others share, ask God to give you words of encouragement to speak over each other—like Nathan did in chapter 7. Then help each other lift your gaze to Jesus, who is the true healer and restorer.

Change OUT // Life Application Assignment 5 minutes
As you interact with those around you this week—at work, with your family and neighbors—speak God’s truth of healing, restoration and hope into their lives!

CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes

Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.