The Sin of Rebellion in this Generation
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
DISOBEDIENCE, dis-ō̇-bē′di-ens, DISOBEDIENT ): The word used cThe Sin of Rebellion in this Generationhiefly in the NT has the The stronger meaning of actual stubbornness or violence
DISOBEDIENCE Sin is disobedience. The first act of disobedience in history was Adam’s representative act that plunged us all into sin.
Intro Story : “ The Danger of Ignoring Authority “
Years ago , a teenage boy ignored his Father’s rule to stay off the frozen lake . He wanted freedom , not restrictions . But the ice cracked , and He fell into the lake , he had to be rescued from near death . In the hospital, he whispered, I should have listened .
Drug addicts get caught , with expired decal , don’t stop on red light , no lights !
Just like when the police pulls you over, First thing he ask you ( you were speeding , License and Registration expired decal , No turn signal ) License and Registration , Insurance Please ! Rebellion always feel like freedom in the beginning , just like blatant sin , but it often ends up in regret, pain, or loss.
In scripture , rebellion is not a personality trait , it’s a sin that leads to destruction !
Main Text : 1 Samuel 15 : 1 - 35 New King James Version
Saul Spares King Agag
Saul Spares King Agag
1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord.
2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and attack[a] Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.
6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt.
8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
Saul Rejected as King
Saul Rejected as King
10 Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,
11 “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.
12 So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.”
13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
And he said to him, “Speak on.”
17 So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?
18 Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are [b]consumed.’
19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the [c]spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”
20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites
21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
22 So Samuel said:
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of [d]witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He also has rejected you from being king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”
26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
27 And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.
28 So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.
29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”
30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.”
31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me.” So Agag came to him cautiously.
And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33 But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul.
35 And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
1.) Rebellion is rejecting God’s authority
Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord,
That take counsel, but not of me;
And that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit,
That they may add sin to sin:
Ecclesiastes 4:10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.
Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Rebellion is when we say , “ Ill do it my way “ It is making decisions apart from God’s will , choosing independance over obedience
An evil man seeketh only rebellion:
Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Rebellion isn’t harmless . It invites judgement and separation from God’s protection .
For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death?
Moses speaks to a generation with a track record of rebellion . history shows us that rebellion is a heart issue that repeats without repentance .
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God .
Rebellion begins in the mind and the heart , when we resist God’s control and refuse to submit .
STATISTIC :
According to Barna Group , 48 % of Christians struggle with submitting fully to God’s will in major life decisions , primarily in relationships , careers , and moral boundaries .
2.) Rebellion Invites Loss and Judgement
But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers.
God is patient , but continued rebellion brings discipline . It disconnects us from His favor and leads to unnecessary suffering.
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed:
All that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness:
Yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.
Jerusalem’s destruction was a result of ongoing rebellion . Sin always has consequences , no matter how spiritual we think we are
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Dear Fiends ,
If we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth , there is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgement .
Knowing God’s truth and willfully rebelling is extremely dangerous. I t leads to spiritual hardening in the heart and loss of intimacy wiht Him .
STATISTIC :
A Lifeway study found that 70 % of churchgoers believe repeated sin , if not confessed , leads to spiritual dullness , confirming Scripture’s warning .
ILLUSTRATION :
Think of Rebellion it’s like unplugging a lamp from power . it doesn’t explode , it just stops working . Rebellion disconnects you from the source of life .
Don’t wait for consequences to turn around.
Return now before discipline comes.
Restoration is only one repentant prayer away .
3.) GOD OFFERS RESTORATION TO THE REPENT
If my people, which are called by my name,
shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.
Though rebellion is serious, God offers mercy to the humble. if you turn back , He is ready to forgive and restore
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord:
Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
But if ye refuse and rebel,
Ye shall be devoured with the sword:
For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Rebellion can be reversed by obedience .
God doesn’t just forgive , He cleanses and restores
Repent ye therefore,
and be converted
that your sins may be blotted out,
when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Repentance wipes the slate and brings refreshing.
What rebellion stole ,
God can restore
STATISTIC :
According to the American Bible Society , people who returned to regular Bible reading after seasons of rebellion reported a 68 % increase in hope and clarity in just six weeks .
ILLUSTRATION :
Imagine a broken GPS being reset . Once it’s recalibrated , it can again lead you in the right direction . That’s what repentance does , it realigns your life with God’s will .
Don’t let shame keep you from coming home .
if you rebelled , turn back today.
God’s arms are still open !
CLOSING : Story - “ The hand that reaches back “
A teenage girl once ran away , rejecting every rule , after months of rebellion , guilt overwhelmed her.
When she finally returned home at midnight , she found her father asleep on the porch swing , Bible in hand , waiting for her. She whispered , “ I didn’t think you’d want me back. “ He said , “ I never stopped waiting “
That’s the Heart of our God .
Rebellion may lead us far , but it never takes us beyond reach !
