Total Sessions: 4 Video Sessions

Total Time: 7 Hours

Overview: This series teaches the fundamentals of rebuke (correction) and repentance. After completing this Bible study participants will:

  • Understand fundamental principles regarding the importance of rebuke and repentance. 
  • Understand how God has given us rebuke and repentance as lifelines.
  • Understand the the importance of repentance and the difference between conviction and condemnation. 
  • Understand how to correct a fellow believer using God's outlined instructions.

 


Session Topic: The Basics of Rebuke + Repentance 

Focal Text: 2 Samuel 12:1-24

Biblical Figure Focus: King David

Objective: To provide an understanding of the importance of Godly correction [rebuke] and our response of repentance. 

Key Words

  • Rebuke - From the Greek word, elegchó,  which means ‘to expose or discipline’. The Hebrew word, musar, means ‘discipline, chastening, or correction’. 
  • Repent - From the Greek word, metanoia,  which means ‘change of mind’. The Hebrew word for repentance, shubh, means ‘to turn’ or ‘return’. 
  • Refine - From the Greek word, puroo, which means ‘to set on fire,  full of fire, or ignited’, ‘purify by fire’, or ‘to be inflamed’. The Hebrew word, tsaraph, means ‘to smelt, refine, or test’. 
  • Conviction - From the Greek word, yakach, which means to decide, adjudge, chasten, correct, or judge.
  • Condemnation - From the Greek word, katakrima, which means penalty. The word specifically implies the exact sentence handed down after due process [judgement establishing guilt]. 

 


Text Background

​The book of 2 Samuel records the history of the reign and life of King David. While the author of the book is unknown  some of the writings in the book are from the prophets Nathan and Gad (1 Chronicles 29:29). Some suggest that the book was authored by Nathan’s son, Zabud but this is not explicitly stated. Throughout the book we are privy to the successes and shortcomings of King David. The book places emphasis on kingdom development, leadership, success, influence, justice, sin, and consequences. 

In our foundational text, Nathan the prophet of God, addresses the sins that King David had committed. King David was supposed to be at war but instead was walking on his rooftop when he saw Bathsheba bathing. She was the wife of Uriah, one of David's men. David summons her to the palace and he sleeps with her. Bathsheba becomes pregnant and sends a message to David. He replies back with a ‘put that on everything Usher confessions voice’,  and does what any other person does naturally, attempts to hide the sin. 

David summons Uriah back from battle hoping that when he gets home he will sleep with wife. He even sent Uriah home with a gift.  This plan is foiled because Uriah is so committed to the cause that he gets home and refuses to sleep with Bathsheba while the others are at war. Uriah literally slept at David's door and didn't even go home (2 Samuel 11:9-11). David got him drunk, he still did not go home. After the second night, Uriah returns back to the battlefield.

Once it became clear that plan A was not going to work David goes for the next obvious plan, kill Uriah. He sends a letter to Joab the military leader and tells him to place Uriah on the battlefield where the fight was fiercest and then pull back so he will be killed. This left Uriah exposed and he was killed. Bathsheba mourns her husband's death and then marries David and gives birth to a son. God is displeased with David and sends Nathan the prophet to rebuke the King.


My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. ~James 5:19-20

Sin, especially sin that is not confronted, breeds strife and death not only to the one who committed the original sin but to their descendants as well (James 1:15). We see this not only in the story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah but also Adam and Eve. Sin followed their family with Cain and Abel and continues to impact their lineage. If you scroll on social media or watch or read the news you will see the long lasting impact of the choices made by Adam and Eve still today.  Rebuke and true repentance brings us back into relationship with God (2 Corinthians 7:10).

There are 3 keys to refinement through correction.

  • Rebuke
  • Repentance
  • Revelation

Rebuke

We have all been called to confront sin and help restore wandering believers back to Christ. The critical thing is that we are using Godly rebuke and not our self-righteous foolishness. There are three things that separate rebuke (authority) from self-righteousness (audacity):

  • love
  • truth
  • intent​

When we give rebuke and there is confrontation of sin we base this strictly off of the word of God. It is God’s righteousness that we stand on, not our own. The mishandling of this responsibility has led to great hurt and division in the body of Christ. 

Rebuke should be done with a heart posture of love (1 Corinthians 16:14). A heart posture of love is demonstrated by patience, kindness, not being jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. A heart posture of love is not irritable and it is not keeping a running record of being wronged. A heart posture of love seeks for justice to prevail and rejoices when truth wins. A heart posture of love never gives up, loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures in every circumstance (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). We are called to give truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). ​

Unbiblical rebuke is often carried out with the intent to injure, shame, or condemn another believer and is done hypocritically (Matthew 7:3-5).  

We are called to confront each other's sin in grace and love. Galatians 6:1-3, tells us that if another believer is overcome by sin we are to forgivingly help that person back on the right path. We should do this while also being mindful not to fall into temptation ourselves and should not think that we are too important to help those who are struggling in sin. The Message version of the Bible even reads that through sharing these burdens we are completing Christ’s law.


“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. ~Matthew 7:3-5 NLT

Repentance 

Repentance is changing our mind which results in us turning away from sin and returning back to God. God examines our heart so true repentance is required (Matthew 15:8-9). When we discuss heart in the spiritual sense we are talking about your thoughts, will, emotions, etc. It is not enough to give God lip service. In fact, your level of repentance should lead to action. ​

David cried out to the Lord, repented, and fasted before the Lord in solitude for 7 days. We never hear of him back and having another man killed so he could scoop their wife either. His change is evidence of his repentance. Repentance is also noted by his willingness to return to and serve God even after having devastating consequences to his sin. 

It is critical that we understand that God’s grace is a gift but is not to be played with. 

Continuing to commit the same sin over and over demonstrates that heart posture is not one of true repentance. Once your mind is changed, which is our definition of repentance, your actions have to respond. It is not by my will that I was able to lay down cursing, but I made up my mind that Jesus is Lord. As a result of our relationship I had to move differently because I love Him too much to defile the work He has done or His reputation with others because I’m ruining my witness.

Too many Christians are claiming to be married to Christ but we are sleeping with the enemy in an attempt to be politically correct or to avoid coming off as judgemental. However, we are to be in the world and not of it. We are to not allow our lights to be dimmed. Remember that we are the bride of Christ. 


For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. ~Ephesians 5:25-27 NLT

Four Basic Principles of Rebuke & Repentance

1. Stay In Proper Position: Development is an ongoing process and continues even as we get elevated to new positions. It is important for us to remain sensitive to God’s purpose and His promptings. David was out of position and outside of the purpose of God when he saw Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1). 

2. Don’t Allow Elevated Positions To Plant Seeds Of Pride: Pride is often exhibited with thoughts, motives, and actions all exalting yourself and your personal desires. David took advantage of his power as king.  People, especially women, in Biblical times were not in the position to deny or defy summons or decrees of Kings. This is why when Esther fasted and approached the King without being summoned she was risking her life. It was common to bathe outside. So Bathsheba was taking a bath minding her own business and David was up on the roof walking around. Sees her and decides he wants her for himself without considering any consequences. PRIDE!
 
3. Our Righteousness Does Not Exempt Us From Rebuke: David was a man after God’s own heart and still was caught up (and yes it's another Usher reference because it's hilarious to me). As we continue to grow in Christ we must still remember that our own righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Yes, we have been saved to perform good works here on the earth, we will talk about this at length in our next series. However, when we become self righteous our acts of righteousness are repulsive to God. The term ‘filthy rags’ translated from the Hebrew is in reference to towels used for menstrual blood. No matter how saved and sanctified you are, you are still human, you will still sin, and you will need rebuke. Do not allow self righteousness to cut you off from your lifeline of rebuke and repentance. Everyone who corrects is not a hater, sometimes we are just out here really acting like heathens and we need to be gathered. Proverbs 27:5 tells us that an open rebuke is better than a hidden love. The person who confronts your sin loves you and loves you enough in fact to save you from yourself. I am so grateful for those who love me enough to save me from me!

4. Revelation Is Required: When David was confronted by the prophet Nathan with the parable of the rich man taking advantage of the poor man, David was furious and even said the rich man deserved to die. The entire time he had not received the revelation that the story was about him. It was after Nathan revealed to David that he was the rich man in the parable that David seeks God and confesses his guilt. This is significant because there had been a significant amount of time that had passed between the sin and the confrontation and at no point had David caught the revelation that God was displeased with him (2 Samuel 11:27). By the time David asks for repentance the baby had been born…that means at the very least 9 months had passed. 

The sin David committed had separated him from God so much that he couldn’t even see himself in the story as the villain. It was common in those times to have scheduled time to pray. It is very clear that David prayed to God often and while it's not explicitly stated, I highly doubt that he stopped praying for that entire almost 1 year timeframe. This is significant; it highlights that a relationship with the Holy Spirit is what keeps us from just being a functional Christian, going through the motions and brings us into being fruitful children of God. The Holy Spirit keeps us sensitive to God’s presence, proclamations, and his precincts. This is why the conviction that we feel by the Holy Spirit is so necessary and why continual repentance should be commonplace in our quiet time with God. 


The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. ~2 Peter 3:9

Barriers To Rebuke & Repentance 

Unbelief: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life without a relationship with Him as our Lord and Savior we do not have a connection with God. 

Sin + Continual unrepentant sin [reprobate]: Sin separates us from God and continual sin will harden our hearts toward God and his word. 

Pride: The Bible tells us that God opposes the proud. First off, I am never trying to be in direct opposition or an enemy of God. Pride also is a direct path for destruction. Proverbs 12:15 tells us that a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advise. We can see this when we compare King Saul’s response to rebuke and King David’s response. Saul was unrepentant and prideful; it led to him being disconnected from God and tormented by an evil spirit.

Disappointments + Trials: Disappointments can lead to disbelief if left unchecked and bitterness is allowed to take root. We must remember that the enemy only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. If he can destroy your faith and hope in God to where you become apathetic and disconnected from the source he will lead you to self destruct. 

Past experiences: Many believers have experienced church hurt as a result of someone mishandling the responsibility of rebuke. Even in the world people are perverting the concept of rebuke and repentance with the abuse of cancel culture.  

 


Workbook The Basics Of Rebuke + Repentance Workbook The Basics Of Rebuke + Repentance